Zambia: School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2017, Zambia's school enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) rose 0.00413 on 2016 (from 1.02 to 1.02).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1975 to 2016), the average change was +0.00505 and a typical year strayed about 0.00978 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 0.03 in 2006 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.02 in 2011. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2008 to 2017 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.00482 a year. A straight line explains 76% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

Closest to Zambia in the 2017 ranking

• Uganda — 1st of 6: 1.03
• Tajikistan — 3rd of 6: 0.99
• Venezuela, RB — 4th of 6: 0.98
• São Tomé and Principe — 5th of 6: 0.97

What this measures

Gender parity index for gross enrollment ratio in primary education is the ratio of girls to boys enrolled at primary level in public and private schools.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 40 values

School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) in nearby economies

• Angola — 0.94 (2018)
• Benin — 0.93 (2021)
• Botswana — 0.98 (2021)
• Burkina Faso — 1.02 (2021)
• Burundi — 1.01 (2020)
• Cabo Verde — 0.94 (2019)
• Cameroon — 0.9 (2019)
• Central African Republic — 0.77 (2017)
• Chad — 0.8 (2021)

More education data for Zambia

• Primary school starting age (years) — 7 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 7 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 14 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 5 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 4.49 million (2024)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 115.55% (2024)
• Over-age students, primary (% of enrollment) — 13.95% (2017)
• Government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP) — 4.07% (2023)
• Over-age students, primary, female (% of female enrollment) — 13.08% (2017)
• Over-age students, primary, male (% of male enrollment)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Zambia's school enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI)?

1.02 in 2017, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1970?

It is up 26.69% from 0.81 in 1970 (0.5% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 1.02 in 2017 and the lowest 0.81 in 1970.

Is the latest change in school enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) unusual for Zambia?

In 2017, Zambia's school enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) rose 0.00413 on 2016 (from 1.02 to 1.02). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1975 to 2016), the average change was +0.00505 and a typical year strayed about 0.00978 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Where does this data come from?

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.ENR.PRIM.FM.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://uis.unesco.org/bdds, publisher: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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