School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes (years) (both sexes) in Zambia
Zambia: School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes (years) (both sexes) was 0.1981 years in 2012. ▲ Rising
School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in Zambia, 1970–2012
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in Zambia is 0.1981 years, measured in 2012.
The figure is down 0.7% on the previous year and up 66.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in Zambia peaked at 0.1995 years in 2011 and was at its lowest, 0.0196 years, in 1970.
Zambia ranks 190th of 196 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 20 years of available data.
School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes (years) (both sexes) in Zambia, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 0.0196 years | — |
| 1974 | 0.0561 years | +185.9% |
| 1975 | 0.0979 years | +74.5% |
| 1976 | 0.0993 years | +1.4% |
| 1977 | 0.0771 years | -22.3% |
| 1978 | 0.0773 years | +0.2% |
| 1979 | 0.0749 years | -3.1% |
| 1981 | 0.0713 years | -4.8% |
| 1982 | 0.0731 years | +2.6% |
| 1983 | 0.0761 years | +4.1% |
| 1984 | 0.0731 years | -4.0% |
| 1986 | 0.1124 years | +53.9% |
| 1987 | 0.0978 years | -13.0% |
| 1988 | 0.1077 years | +10.1% |
| 1989 | 0.1015 years | -5.7% |
| 1990 | 0.1042 years | +2.7% |
| 1998 | 0.12 years | +15.1% |
| 1999 | 0.1191 years | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 0.1995 years | +67.5% |
| 2012 | 0.1981 years | -0.7% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 0.1981 years is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.8465 years, 23% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 0.1981 years is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.5449 years, 36% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes (years) (both sexes) in Zambia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | +185.9% | 0.0196 years | 0.0561 years |
| 1975 | +74.5% | 0.0561 years | 0.0979 years |
| 2011 | +67.5% | 0.1191 years | 0.1995 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.0717 years | 0.0196 years | 0.0993 years | 7 |
| 1980s | 0.0891 years | 0.0713 years | 0.1124 years | 8 |
| 1990s | 0.1144 years | 0.1042 years | 0.12 years | 3 |
| 2010s | 0.1988 years | 0.1981 years | 0.1995 years | 2 |
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, tertiary, both sexes in Zambia?
- School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in Zambia was 0.1981 years in 2012, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 0.1995 years in 2011.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0196 years in 1970.
- How does Zambia rank for school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes?
- Zambia ranks 190th out of 196 countries with data for 2012.
- Is school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 66.3%. 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, tertiary, both sexes (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 20 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release