Theoretical duration of lower secondary education in Zambia
Zambia: Theoretical duration of lower secondary education was 2 years in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
2 years
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
199th
of 215 countries
All-time high
3 years
in 1970
All-time low
2 years
in 1985
Years of data
56
1970–2025
Theoretical duration of lower secondary education in Zambia, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2025, theoretical duration of lower secondary education in Zambia stood at 2 years. That is the lowest value across all 56 years on record.
The figure is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, theoretical duration of lower secondary education in Zambia peaked at 3 years in 1970 and was at its lowest, 2 years, in 1985.
Zambia ranks 199th of 215 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 56 years of available data.
Theoretical duration of lower secondary education in Zambia, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 3 years | — |
| 1971 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 2 years | -33.3% |
| 1986 | 2 years | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 2 years | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 2 years | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 2 years | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 2 years | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 2 years | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 2 years | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 2 years | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 2 years | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 2 years | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 2 years | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 2 years | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 2 years | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 2 years | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 2 years | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 2 years | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 2 years | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 2 years | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 2 years | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 2 years | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 2 years | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 2 years | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 2 years | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 2 years | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 2 years | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 2 years | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 2 years | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 2 years | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 2 years | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 2 years | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 2 years | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 2 years | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 2 years | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 2 years | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 2 years | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 2 years | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 2 years | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 2 years | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 2 years | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 2 years | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3 years | 3 years | 3 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.5 years | 2 years | 3 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 2 years | 2 years | 2 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 2 years | 2 years | 2 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 2 years | 2 years | 2 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 2 years | 2 years | 2 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 199 Aruba 2 years compare
- 199 Belgium 2 years compare
- 199 Bolivia 2 years compare
- 199 Brunei 2 years compare
- 199 Chile 2 years compare
- 199 Democratic Republic of Congo 2 years compare
- 199 Micronesia (country) 2 years compare
- 199 Kenya 2 years compare
- 199 Marshall Islands 2 years compare
- 199 Palau 2 years compare
- 199 Singapore 2 years compare
- 199 South Sudan 2 years compare
- 199 Sint Maarten (Dutch part) 2 years compare
- 199 Samoa 2 years compare
- 199 South Africa 2 years compare
- 199 Zimbabwe 2 years compare
More education data for Zambia
- Theoretical duration of pre-primary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (pre-primary to post-secondary non) 0.0494 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of lower secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of upper secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of secondary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), gaps filled 2,022 tertiary education (2022)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), annual growth 0.0497 % change on previous year (2014)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 116,859 (2024)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre-primary education 4 years (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is theoretical duration of lower secondary education in Zambia?
- Theoretical duration of lower secondary education in Zambia was 2 years in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest theoretical duration of lower secondary education recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 3 years in 1970.
- What is the lowest theoretical duration of lower secondary education recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 2 years in 1985.
- How does Zambia rank for theoretical duration of lower secondary education?
- Zambia ranks 199th out of 215 countries with data for 2025.
- Is theoretical duration of lower secondary education rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Theoretical duration of lower secondary education (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release