Share of population with no formal education in Zambia
Zambia: Share of population with no formal education was 6.8% in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Share of population with no formal education in Zambia, 1870–2020
Source: Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, share of population with no formal education in Zambia stood at 6.8%. That is the lowest value across all 31 years on record.
That represents a change of down 43.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population with no formal education in Zambia peaked at 100.0% in 1870 and was at its lowest, 6.8%, in 2020.
Zambia ranks 40th of 111 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of population with no formal education in Zambia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 100.0% | — |
| 1875 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1880 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1885 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1890 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1895 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1900 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1905 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1910 | 96.4% | -3.6% |
| 1915 | 93.2% | -3.3% |
| 1920 | 90.8% | -2.6% |
| 1925 | 88.6% | -2.4% |
| 1930 | 77.5% | -12.5% |
| 1935 | 73.6% | -5.0% |
| 1940 | 69.7% | -5.3% |
| 1945 | 64.3% | -7.7% |
| 1950 | 58.5% | -9.0% |
| 1955 | 54.8% | -6.3% |
| 1960 | 49.9% | -8.9% |
| 1965 | 44.5% | -10.8% |
| 1970 | 39.0% | -12.4% |
| 1975 | 37.6% | -3.6% |
| 1980 | 35.3% | -6.1% |
| 1985 | 33.7% | -4.5% |
| 1990 | 32.6% | -3.3% |
| 1995 | 19.5% | -40.2% |
| 2000 | 16.6% | -14.9% |
| 2005 | 15.2% | -8.4% |
| 2010 | 12.0% | -21.1% |
| 2015 | 8.9% | -25.8% |
| 2020 | 6.8% | -23.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1880s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1890s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1900s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1910s | 94.8% | 93.2% | 96.4% | 2 |
| 1920s | 89.7% | 88.6% | 90.8% | 2 |
| 1930s | 75.5% | 73.6% | 77.5% | 2 |
| 1940s | 67.0% | 64.3% | 69.7% | 2 |
| 1950s | 56.6% | 54.8% | 58.5% | 2 |
| 1960s | 47.2% | 44.5% | 49.9% | 2 |
| 1970s | 38.3% | 37.6% | 39.0% | 2 |
| 1980s | 34.5% | 33.7% | 35.3% | 2 |
| 1990s | 26.1% | 19.5% | 32.6% | 2 |
| 2000s | 15.9% | 15.2% | 16.6% | 2 |
| 2010s | 10.4% | 8.9% | 12.0% | 2 |
| 2020s | 6.8% | 6.8% | 6.8% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
More education data for Zambia
- 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)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 2.55 % change on previous year (2017)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), per capita 0.2106 units per person (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 2.30 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population with no formal education in Zambia?
- Share of population with no formal education in Zambia was 6.8% in 2020, according to Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population with no formal education recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 100.0% in 1870.
- What is the lowest share of population with no formal education recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.8% in 2020.
- How does Zambia rank for share of population with no formal education?
- Zambia ranks 40th out of 111 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population with no formal education rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 43.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population with no formal education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The share of adults aged between 15 and 64 years old with no formal education.