School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years) (both) in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years) (both) was 11.36 years in 2013. ▲ Rising
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Zimbabwe, 1971–2013
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in years.
Analysis
Zimbabwe recorded 11.36 years for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in 2013.
The figure is down 0.8% on the previous year and up 14.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Zimbabwe peaked at 11.45 years in 2012 and was at its lowest, 4.52 years, in 1979.
That places Zimbabwe 135th out of 183 countries with data for 2013, putting it in the middle of the range.
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 | 4.99 years | — |
| 1972 | 5.21 years | +4.5% |
| 1973 | 5.26 years | +0.8% |
| 1974 | 5.34 years | +1.6% |
| 1975 | 5.36 years | +0.3% |
| 1976 | 5.31 years | -0.9% |
| 1977 | 5.2 years | -2.2% |
| 1978 | 4.7 years | -9.6% |
| 1979 | 4.52 years | -3.8% |
| 1980 | 6.26 years | +38.4% |
| 1981 | 8.66 years | +38.4% |
| 1982 | 9.65 years | +11.4% |
| 1983 | 10.27 years | +6.4% |
| 1984 | 10.91 years | +6.2% |
| 1985 | 11 years | +0.8% |
| 1986 | 11.2 years | +1.8% |
| 1989 | 10.4 years | -7.1% |
| 1990 | 9.77 years | -6.1% |
| 1991 | 10.32 years | +5.7% |
| 1992 | 10 years | -3.1% |
| 1999 | 10.26 years | +2.6% |
| 2000 | 10.31 years | +0.5% |
| 2001 | 10.7 years | +3.8% |
| 2002 | 10.22 years | -4.5% |
| 2003 | 9.91 years | -3.1% |
| 2012 | 11.45 years | +15.6% |
| 2013 | 11.36 years | -0.8% |
Zimbabwe compared with similar countries
- Zimbabwe's 11.36 years is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 11.24 years, 1.0× the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Zimbabwe's 11.36 years is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 10.73 years, 1.1× 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 | +38.4% | 4.52 years | 6.26 years |
| 1981 | +38.4% | 6.26 years | 8.66 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 5.1 years | 4.52 years | 5.36 years | 9 |
| 1980s | 9.79 years | 6.26 years | 11.2 years | 8 |
| 1990s | 10.09 years | 9.77 years | 10.32 years | 4 |
| 2000s | 10.29 years | 9.91 years | 10.7 years | 4 |
| 2010s | 11.4 years | 11.36 years | 11.45 years | 2 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
More education data for Zimbabwe
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 90.38 (2024)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 89.48 (2024)
- 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)
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 11.36 years in 2013, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 11.45 years in 2012.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.52 years in 1979.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes?
- Zimbabwe ranks 135th out of 183 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 14.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zimbabwe data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), 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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About this data
Expected years of schooling is the number of years a child of school entrance age is expected to spend at school, or university, including years spent on repetition. It is the sum of the age-specific enrolment ratios for primary, secondary, post-secondary non-tertiary and tertiary education.