School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years) (both) in Zambia
Zambia: School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years) (both) was 7.73 years in 1990. ▲ Rising
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Zambia, 1970–1990
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
Zambia recorded 7.73 years for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in 1990.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.5% on the previous year and up 5.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Zambia peaked at 8.14 years in 1986 and was at its lowest, 6.63 years, in 1970.
Zambia ranks 176th of 186 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years) (both) in Zambia, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 6.63 years | — |
| 1974 | 7.19 years | +8.5% |
| 1975 | 7.16 years | -0.5% |
| 1976 | 7.39 years | +3.2% |
| 1977 | 7.38 years | -0.2% |
| 1978 | 7.36 years | -0.2% |
| 1979 | 7.35 years | -0.2% |
| 1981 | 7.36 years | +0.2% |
| 1982 | 7.43 years | +1.0% |
| 1986 | 8.14 years | +9.5% |
| 1987 | 7.76 years | -4.6% |
| 1988 | 8.01 years | +3.2% |
| 1990 | 7.73 years | -3.5% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 7.73 years is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 11.12 years, 70% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 7.73 years is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 10.16 years, 76% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 7.21 years | 6.63 years | 7.39 years | 7 |
| 1980s | 7.74 years | 7.36 years | 8.14 years | 5 |
| 1990s | 7.73 years | 7.73 years | 7.73 years | 1 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
More education data for Zambia
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 42,585 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 169,961 (2013)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.39 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.49 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.55 % change on previous year (2017)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.2106 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 4.49 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Zambia?
- School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Zambia was 7.73 years in 1990, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 8.14 years in 1986.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.63 years in 1970.
- How does Zambia rank for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes?
- Zambia ranks 176th out of 186 countries with data for 1990.
- Is school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 13 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release