Education · Sub-Saharan Africa · Lower-middle income
Zambia: education in numbers
Pre-primary enrolment is 8.7% (2017), 167th of 176 in the world and 32nd of 39 in Sub-Saharan Africa. Primary enrolment is 115.6% (2024), 18th of 191 in the world and 9th of 41 in Sub-Saharan Africa. Primary completion is 81.8% (2013).
Primary enrolment
ZambiaSub-Saharan AfricaLower-middle incomeWorld
Primary completion
ZambiaSub-Saharan AfricaLower-middle incomeWorld
12 indicators
Education: Zambia in detail
Latest reported value, world rank and rank within Sub-Saharan Africa; values around 2000, 2010, 2020; group and world columns are World Bank aggregates.
| Indicator | Latest | World rank | In region | ~2000 | ~2010 | ~2020 | 10-year change | Region | Income group | World | Since 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-primary enrolmentPre-primary enrolment, % gross | 8.7%2017 | 167/176 | 32/39 | · | 2.5%2011 | · | — | 28.1% | 58.5% | 60.9% | |
| Primary enrolmentPrimary school enrolment, % gross | 115.6%2024 | 18/191 | 9/41 | 80.4% | 109.9% | · | +8.5 ppsince 2014 | 97.1% | 105.4% | 102.2% | |
| Primary completionPrimary completion rate, % of age group | 81.8%2013 | — | — | 60.4% | 98.7% | · | +22.1 ppsince 2002 | 68.9% | 88.0% | 88.0% | |
| Secondary enrolmentSecondary school enrolment, % gross | 56.8%2024 | 150/176 | 14/34 | · | · | · | +36.5 ppsince 1994 | 45.9% | 68.0% | 77.3% | |
| Lower secondary completionLower secondary completion rate, % of age group | 55.3%2013 | — | — | 24.8% | 59.7% | · | +17.5 ppsince 2002 | 44.4% | 73.7% | 77.9% | |
| Tertiary enrolmentTertiary enrolment, % gross | 4.0%2012 | — | — | 2.4%1999 | 4.0%2011 | · | +1.6 ppsince 1999 | 9.3% | 27.4% | 43.6% | |
| Out-of-school childrenChildren out of school, % of primary school age | 3.5%2024 | 92/178 | 30/38 | 31.9% | 11.7% | · | −5.8 ppsince 2013 | — | 8.3% | — | |
| Adult literacyAdult literacy rate, % of people 15+ | 71.8%2024 | 112/141 | 19/41 | 68.0%1999 | 83.1% | 81.8% | −11.4 ppsince 2010 | 68.7% | 78.3% | 87.7% | |
| Youth literacyYouth literacy rate, % of people 15–24 | 77.7%2024 | 131/148 | 27/42 | 69.5%1999 | 88.7% | 85.9% | −11.1 ppsince 2010 | 79.0% | 91.9% | 93.1% | |
| Pupils per teacherPupils per teacher, primary | 42.12017 | 15/173 | 13/40 | 49.9 | 53.0 | · | −24%since 2007 | 37.4 | 28.9 | 23.4 | |
| Education spendingPublic spending on education, % of GDP | 4.1%2023 | 98/184 | 19/43 | 1.8% | 3.4% | 3.9% | +0.4 ppsince 2013 | 3.3% | 3.4% | 3.6% | |
| Education, % of budgetEducation spending, % of government expenditure | 14.5%2025 | 62/179 | 20/42 | 8.4% | 19.9% | 12.4% | −2.2 ppsince 2015 | 15.4% | 13.6% | 14.0% |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)“·” — no value reported within two years of that date. World rank counts countries with a recent value.
Better than ten years ago
- Primary completion+22.1 pp81.8% in 2013
- Secondary enrolment+36.5 pp56.8% in 2024
- Lower secondary completion+17.5 pp55.3% in 2013
- Tertiary enrolment+1.6 pp4.0% in 2012
Worse than ten years ago
- Adult literacy−11.4 pp71.8% in 2024
- Youth literacy−11.1 pp77.7% in 2024
Only indicators where higher or lower is clearly better are rated (for example, unemployment down is better, life expectancy up is better).
neighbours
Zambia and its neighbours
Countries sharing a land border with Zambia. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | Zambia | Democratic Republic of the Congo | Tanzania | Angola | Mozambique | Malawi |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-primary enrolment | 8.7%2017 | 6.9%2020 | 77.3%2021 | 39.6%2016 | — | 83.6%2015 |
| Primary enrolment | 115.6%2024 | 117.6%2023 | 92.7%2024 | 86.7%2023 | 119.2%2022 | 139.0%2024 |
| Primary completion | 81.8%2013 | 75.7%2023 | 77.3%2024 | 47.9%2023 | 72.4%2022 | 70.1%2024 |
| Secondary enrolment | 56.8%2024 | 55.5%2023 | 28.2%2021 | 51.5%2023 | 37.2%2017 | 36.6%2023 |
| Lower secondary completion | 55.3%2013 | 55.9%2020 | 34.2%2024 | 42.1%2023 | 26.1%2019 | 24.4%2024 |
| Tertiary enrolment | 4.0%2012 | 6.4%2020 | 4.0%2024 | 10.0%2024 | 7.5%2018 | 2.7%2022 |
| Out-of-school children | 3.5%2024 | — | 16.4%2024 | 36.8%2023 | 1.0%2022 | 2.1%2022 |
| Adult literacy | 71.8%2024 | 68.5%2023 | 78.2%2022 | 68.2%2023 | 61.7%2022 | 70.2%2020 |
| Youth literacy | 77.7%2024 | 77.9%2023 | 87.1%2022 | 80.7%2023 | 71.4%2022 | 80.7%2020 |