Zambia: Secondary education, general pupils

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2017, Zambia's secondary education, general pupils rose 3.9% on 2016 (from 822,160 to 854,549).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1974 to 2016), the average change was +7% and a typical year strayed about 6.3% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.5 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 21.8% in 2005 and the biggest yearly fall was 7% 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 12,107 a year. A straight line explains 59% 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

In 2017, Zambia had the 27th highest value of the 69 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Zambia in the 2017 ranking

• Romania — 24th of 69: 1.09 million
• Tajikistan — 25th of 69: 1.06 million
• Netherlands — 26th of 69: 1.03 million
• Sweden — 28th of 69: 729,757
• Hungary — 29th of 69: 709,324
• Belgium — 30th of 69: 661,906

What this measures

Secondary general pupils are the number of secondary students enrolled in general education programs, including teacher training.

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

All 40 values

Secondary education, general pupils in nearby economies

• Angola — 1.75 million (2016)
• Benin — 965,124 (2016)
• Botswana — 169,489 (2015)
• Burkina Faso — 1.25 million (2018)
• Burundi — 606,024 (2018)
• Cabo Verde — 52,143 (2018)
• Cameroon — 1.73 million (2016)
• Central African Republic — 132,695 (2017)
• Chad — 527,321 (2016)
• Comoros — 73,695 (2018)
• Congo, Dem. Rep.

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

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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Questions people ask

What is Zambia's secondary education, general pupils?

854,549 in 2017, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1970?

It is up 1,529% from 52,472 in 1970 (6.12% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 854,549 in 2017 and the lowest 52,472 in 1970.

How does Zambia rank?

27th highest of 69 economies with data for 2017.

Is the latest change in secondary education, general pupils unusual for Zambia?

In 2017, Zambia's secondary education, general pupils rose 3.9% on 2016 (from 822,160 to 854,549). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1974 to 2016), the average change was +7% and a typical year strayed about 6.3% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.5 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.SEC.ENRL.GC, 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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