Share of population with no formal education in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Share of population with no formal education was 1.9% in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2020)
1.9%
World rank
68th
of 111 countries
All-time high
100.0%
in 1870
All-time low
1.9%
in 2020
Years of data
31
1870–2020
Share of population with no formal education in Zimbabwe, 1870–2020
Source: Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Zimbabwe recorded 1.9% for share of population with no formal education in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 31 years on record.
That represents a change of down 47.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population with no formal education in Zimbabwe peaked at 100.0% in 1870 and was at its lowest, 1.9%, in 2020.
Zimbabwe ranks 68th 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 Zimbabwe, 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 | 99.9% | -0.1% |
| 1905 | 99.7% | -0.2% |
| 1910 | 98.3% | -1.4% |
| 1915 | 96.5% | -1.8% |
| 1920 | 94.1% | -2.5% |
| 1925 | 90.0% | -4.4% |
| 1930 | 84.0% | -6.7% |
| 1935 | 74.6% | -11.2% |
| 1940 | 68.1% | -8.7% |
| 1945 | 65.1% | -4.4% |
| 1950 | 58.2% | -10.6% |
| 1955 | 50.9% | -12.5% |
| 1960 | 43.4% | -14.7% |
| 1965 | 37.1% | -14.5% |
| 1970 | 28.8% | -22.4% |
| 1975 | 25.3% | -12.2% |
| 1980 | 24.9% | -1.6% |
| 1985 | 20.5% | -17.7% |
| 1990 | 12.2% | -40.5% |
| 1995 | 8.8% | -27.9% |
| 2000 | 6.6% | -25.0% |
| 2005 | 5.4% | -18.2% |
| 2010 | 3.6% | -33.3% |
| 2015 | 2.8% | -22.2% |
| 2020 | 1.9% | -32.1% |
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 | 99.8% | 99.7% | 99.9% | 2 |
| 1910s | 97.4% | 96.5% | 98.3% | 2 |
| 1920s | 92.0% | 90.0% | 94.1% | 2 |
| 1930s | 79.3% | 74.6% | 84.0% | 2 |
| 1940s | 66.6% | 65.1% | 68.1% | 2 |
| 1950s | 54.5% | 50.9% | 58.2% | 2 |
| 1960s | 40.2% | 37.1% | 43.4% | 2 |
| 1970s | 27.1% | 25.3% | 28.8% | 2 |
| 1980s | 22.7% | 20.5% | 24.9% | 2 |
| 1990s | 10.5% | 8.8% | 12.2% | 2 |
| 2000s | 6.0% | 5.4% | 6.6% | 2 |
| 2010s | 3.2% | 2.8% | 3.6% | 2 |
| 2020s | 1.9% | 1.9% | 1.9% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
- 65 Malaysia 2.2% compare
- 66 Cuba 2.0% compare
- 66 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 2.0% compare
- 68 Austria 1.9% compare
- 68 South Africa 1.9% compare
- 71 Bulgaria 1.8% compare
- 71 Costa Rica 1.8% compare
- 71 El Salvador 1.8% compare
- 71 Iceland 1.8% compare
- 71 Philippines 1.8% compare
More education data for Zimbabwe
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 957,461 (2013)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth -29.08 % change on previous year (2013)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 90,330 (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 4.98 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 474,658 (2013)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate -28.35 % change on previous year (2013)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 482,803 (2013)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate -29.77 % change on previous year (2013)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 650,753 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual -4.24 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population with no formal education in Zimbabwe?
- Share of population with no formal education in Zimbabwe was 1.9% 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 Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 100.0% in 1870.
- What is the lowest share of population with no formal education recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.9% in 2020.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for share of population with no formal education?
- Zimbabwe ranks 68th out of 111 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population with no formal education rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is down 47.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Zimbabwe 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.
Download this data
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About this data
The share of adults aged between 15 and 64 years old with no formal education.