Zimbabwe: Adolescents out of school (% of lower secondary school age)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Zimbabwe's adolescents out of school (% of lower secondary school age) fell 1.17 percentage points on 2023 (from 14.09% to 12.92%).

Across the 15 yearly changes before that (2000 to 2023), the average change was +0.08 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 5.63 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 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 10.58 percentage points in 2015 and the biggest yearly fall was 13.15 percentage points in 2021. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is downward, about 1.09 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 39% 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 2024, Zimbabwe had the 27th highest value of the 90 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 Zimbabwe in the 2024 ranking

• Paraguay — 23rd of 90: 15.37%
• Philippines — 24th of 90: 13.13%
• Mauritius — 25th of 90: 12.98%
• St. Lucia — 27th of 90: 12.52%
• Tuvalu — 28th of 90: 12.21%
• Ukraine — 29th of 90: 10.49%

What this measures

Adolescents out of school are the percentage of lower secondary school age adolescents who are not enrolled in school.

Limitations: The administrative data used in the calculation of the rate of out-of-school children are based on enrolment at a specific date which can bias the results by either counting enrolled children who never attend school or by omitting those who enroll after the reference date for reporting enrolment data. Furthermore, children who drop out of school after the reference date are not counted as out of school. Discrepancies between enrolment and population data from different sources can also result in over- or underestimates of the rate.

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

All 18 values

Adolescents out of school (% of lower secondary school age) in nearby economies

• Botswana — 9.17% (2022)
• Burkina Faso — 59.31% (2024)
• Burundi — 37.09% (2025)
• Cabo Verde — 66.27% (2022)
• Cameroon — 47.1% (2023)
• Chad — 58.62% (2024)
• Côte d'Ivoire — 30.81% (2024)
• Eritrea — 37.09% (2022)
• Eswatini — 7.27% (2022)

More education data for Zimbabwe

• Primary school starting age (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 7 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 13 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 2.94 million (2024)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 93.08% (2024)
• School enrollment, primary, female (% gross) — 93.39% (2024)
• School enrollment, primary, male (% gross) — 92.76% (2024)
• Primary education, teachers — 90,330 (2024)
• School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI)

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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• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Zimbabwe's adolescents out of school (% of lower secondary school age)?

12.92% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1999?

It is down 6.58 percentage points from 19.51% in 1999. The highest value was 25.16% in 2020 and the lowest 7.91% in 2013.

How does Zimbabwe rank?

27th highest of 90 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in adolescents out of school (% of lower secondary school age) unusual for Zimbabwe?

In 2024, Zimbabwe's adolescents out of school (% of lower secondary school age) fell 1.17 percentage points on 2023 (from 14.09% to 12.92%). Across the 15 yearly changes before that (2000 to 2023), the average change was +0.08 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 5.63 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 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.UNER.LO.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://databrowser.uis.unesco.org/resources, note: The data are obtained through the UIS API. 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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