Average years of schooling among adults in Zambia
Zambia: Average years of schooling among adults was 7.4 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Average years of schooling among adults in Zambia, 1990–2023
Source: UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2023, average years of schooling among adults in Zambia stood at 7.4 years. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.
That represents a change of up 12.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, average years of schooling among adults in Zambia peaked at 7.4 years in 2021 and was at its lowest, 4.48 years, in 1990.
That places Zambia 136th out of 192 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 4.89 years | 4.48 years | 5.3 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.8 years | 5.39 years | 6.21 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.71 years | 6.3 years | 7.16 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.37 years | 7.28 years | 7.4 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 133 Honduras 7.51 years compare
- 134 Algeria 7.42 years compare
- 135 Maldives 7.41 years compare
- 137 Democratic Republic of Congo 7.38 years compare
- 138 Micronesia (country) 7.33 years compare
- 139 El Salvador 7.3 years compare
More education data for Zambia
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Duration of pre-primary education 4 years (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 41.0% (2025)
- Primary school starting age 7 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 57.0% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 14 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 115.6% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 116,859 (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 4.04 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 118.3% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is average years of schooling among adults in Zambia?
- Average years of schooling among adults in Zambia was 7.4 years in 2023, according to UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest average years of schooling among adults recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 7.4 years in 2021.
- What is the lowest average years of schooling among adults recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.48 years in 1990.
- How does Zambia rank for average years of schooling among adults?
- Zambia ranks 136th out of 192 countries with data for 2023.
- Is average years of schooling among adults rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Average years of schooling among adults. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Average number of years (excluding years spent repeating individual grades) adults over 25 years participated in formal education.