Total outbound internationally mobile tertiary … both sexes UIS in Zambia
Zambia: Total outbound internationally mobile tertiary … both sexes UIS was 5,318 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Total outbound internationally mobile tertiary students studying in Zambia, 1998–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for total outbound internationally mobile tertiary students studying in Zambia is 5,318, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 3.6% on the previous year and up 5.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, total outbound internationally mobile tertiary students studying in Zambia peaked at 6,173 in 2011 and was at its lowest, 2,808, in 1998.
That places Zambia 133rd out of 210 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.
Total outbound internationally mobile tertiary … both sexes UIS in Zambia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 2,808 | — |
| 1999 | 4,072 | +45.0% |
| 2000 | 5,248 | +28.9% |
| 2001 | 4,922 | -6.2% |
| 2002 | 4,904 | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 4,029 | -17.8% |
| 2004 | 4,029 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 4,223 | +4.8% |
| 2006 | 4,294 | +1.7% |
| 2007 | 4,739 | +10.4% |
| 2008 | 5,319 | +12.2% |
| 2009 | 5,518 | +3.7% |
| 2010 | 5,675 | +2.8% |
| 2011 | 6,173 | +8.8% |
| 2012 | 5,005 | -18.9% |
| 2013 | 5,031 | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 5,232 | +4.0% |
| 2015 | 5,345 | +2.2% |
| 2016 | 5,367 | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 5,267 | -1.9% |
| 2018 | 5,270 | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 4,994 | -5.2% |
| 2020 | 5,457 | +9.3% |
| 2021 | 5,265 | -3.5% |
| 2022 | 5,132 | -2.5% |
| 2023 | 5,318 | +3.6% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 5,318 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 11,955, 44% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 5,318 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 7,852, 68% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Total outbound internationally mobile tertiary … both sexes UIS 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | +45.0% | 2,808 | 4,072 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3,440 | 2,808 | 4,072 | 2 |
| 2000s | 4,722 | 4,029 | 5,518 | 10 |
| 2010s | 5,336 | 4,994 | 6,173 | 10 |
| 2020s | 5,293 | 5,132 | 5,457 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 130 Dominican Republic 5,599 compare
- 131 Mozambique 5,594 compare
- 132 Uruguay 5,583 compare
- 134 Montenegro 5,251 compare
- 135 El Salvador 5,096 compare
- 136 Cuba 4,914 compare
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 total outbound internationally mobile tertiary students studying in Zambia?
- Total outbound internationally mobile tertiary students studying in Zambia was 5,318 in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest total outbound internationally mobile tertiary students studying recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 6,173 in 2011.
- What is the lowest total outbound internationally mobile tertiary students studying recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 2,808 in 1998.
- How does Zambia rank for total outbound internationally mobile tertiary students studying?
- Zambia ranks 133rd out of 210 countries with data for 2023.
- Is total outbound internationally mobile tertiary students studying rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.7%. 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 Total outbound internationally mobile tertiary students studying abroad, all countries, both sexes (UIS estimate) (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release