School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years) (both) in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years) (both) was 10.6 years in 2013. ▲ Rising
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Zimbabwe, 1971–2013
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Zimbabwe is 10.6 years, measured in 2013.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.0% on the previous year and up 3.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Zimbabwe peaked at 11.83 years in 1986 and was at its lowest, 5.11 years, in 1979.
That places Zimbabwe 151st out of 186 countries with data for 2013, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years) (both) in Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 5.13 years | — |
| 1972 | 5.43 years | +5.8% |
| 1973 | 5.52 years | +1.7% |
| 1974 | 5.65 years | +2.3% |
| 1975 | 5.68 years | +0.6% |
| 1976 | 5.67 years | -0.3% |
| 1977 | 5.58 years | -1.6% |
| 1978 | 5.14 years | -7.9% |
| 1979 | 5.11 years | -0.5% |
| 1980 | 7.11 years | +39.2% |
| 1981 | 9.06 years | +27.4% |
| 1982 | 10.16 years | +12.1% |
| 1983 | 10.82 years | +6.5% |
| 1984 | 11.48 years | +6.1% |
| 1985 | 11.61 years | +1.2% |
| 1986 | 11.83 years | +1.9% |
| 1989 | 10.55 years | -10.8% |
| 1990 | 9.78 years | -7.4% |
| 1991 | 10.23 years | +4.6% |
| 1992 | 9.85 years | -3.7% |
| 1999 | 10.08 years | +2.4% |
| 2000 | 10.29 years | +2.0% |
| 2001 | 10.9 years | +6.0% |
| 2002 | 10.51 years | -3.6% |
| 2003 | 10.25 years | -2.4% |
| 2012 | 10.71 years | +4.4% |
| 2013 | 10.6 years | -1.0% |
Zimbabwe compared with similar countries
- Zimbabwe's 10.6 years is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 11.12 years, 95% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Zimbabwe's 10.6 years is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 10.16 years, 1.0× the median. (43 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years) (both) in Zimbabwe changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | +39.2% | 5.11 years | 7.11 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 5.44 years | 5.11 years | 5.68 years | 9 |
| 1980s | 10.33 years | 7.11 years | 11.83 years | 8 |
| 1990s | 9.98 years | 9.78 years | 10.23 years | 4 |
| 2000s | 10.49 years | 10.25 years | 10.9 years | 4 |
| 2010s | 10.65 years | 10.6 years | 10.71 years | 2 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
More education data for Zimbabwe
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 42,585 (2013)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 12,514 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 328,055 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 322,698 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 957,461 (2013)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.94 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.4866 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1767 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Zimbabwe?
- School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Zimbabwe was 10.6 years in 2013, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 11.83 years in 1986.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.11 years in 1979.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes?
- Zimbabwe ranks 151st out of 186 countries with data for 2013.
- Is school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zimbabwe 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 27 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release