Secondary education, pupils in Zambia

Zambia: Secondary education, pupils was 1.39 million in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
1.39 million
World rank
59th
of 206 countries
All-time high
1.39 million
in 2024
All-time low
56,182
in 1970
Years of data
20
1970–2024

Secondary education, pupils in Zambia, 1970–2024

0500.0k1.0M1.5M1970199720241970: 56.2k1971: 60.2k1972: 64.7k1973: 65.5k1974: 70.8k1975: 77.7k1976: 83.6k1977: 89.3k1978: 94.6k1979: 97.4k1980: 102.0k1981: 104.7k1982: 110.4k1985: 140.7k1986: 156.1k1987: 158.2k1988: 170.3k1990: 189.8k1994: 208.6k2024: 1.4M

Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Analysis

Zambia recorded 1.39 million for secondary education, pupils in 2024. That is the highest value across all 20 years on record.

Over the whole period, secondary education, pupils in Zambia peaked at 1.39 million in 2024 and was at its lowest, 56,182, in 1970.

That places Zambia 59th out of 206 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Secondary education, pupils in Zambia, year by year

Annual values for Secondary education, pupils in Zambia, 1970 to 2024.
Year Value Change
1970 56,182
1971 60,235 +7.2%
1972 64,695 +7.4%
1973 65,494 +1.2%
1974 70,812 +8.1%
1975 77,672 +9.7%
1976 83,637 +7.7%
1977 89,270 +6.7%
1978 94,628 +6.0%
1979 97,373 +2.9%
1980 102,019 +4.8%
1981 104,652 +2.6%
1982 110,416 +5.5%
1985 140,743 +27.5%
1986 156,091 +10.9%
1987 158,171 +1.3%
1988 170,299 +7.7%
1990 189,796 +11.4%
1994 208,640 +9.9%
2024 1.39 million +564.9%

Zambia compared with similar countries

  • Zambia's 1.39 million is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 929,099, 1.5× the median. (47 countries reporting)
  • Zambia's 1.39 million is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 901,617, 1.5× the median. (47 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Secondary education, pupils 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.

YearChange FromTo
2024 +564.9% 208,640 1.39 million

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 76,000 56,182 97,373 10
1980s 134,627 102,019 170,299 7
1990s 199,218 189,796 208,640 2
2020s 1.39 million 1.39 million 1.39 million 1

Countries ranked near Zambia

  1. 56 Madagascar 1.62 million compare
  2. 57 Netherlands 1.61 million compare
  3. 58 Romania 1.43 million compare
  4. 60 Syria 1.36 million compare
  5. 61 Mali 1.31 million compare
  6. 62 Bolivia 1.30 million compare

See the full ranking of 251 places →

More education data for Zambia

All data for Zambia →

Frequently asked questions

What is secondary education, pupils in Zambia?
Secondary education, pupils in Zambia was 1.39 million in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
What is the highest secondary education, pupils recorded in Zambia?
The highest recorded value was 1.39 million in 2024.
What is the lowest secondary education, pupils recorded in Zambia?
The lowest recorded value was 56,182 in 1970.
How does Zambia rank for secondary education, pupils?
Zambia ranks 59th out of 206 countries with data for 2024.
Where does this Zambia data come from?
The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Secondary education, pupils. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Secondary education, pupils in Zambia. Statizoid, drawing on Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 22 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/secondary-education-pupils/zambia/

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About this data

Indicator
Secondary education, pupils
Source
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
251 places, 10,025 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

Secondary education pupils is the total number of pupils enrolled at secondary level in public and private schools.