Zimbabwe: Lower secondary school starting age (years)

Key figures

What the numbers say

On record, the biggest yearly fall was 1 in 1987. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2016 to 2025 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains less than 1% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

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

How it compares

In 2025, Zimbabwe had the 5th highest value of the 209 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 2025 ranking

• Papua New Guinea — 26th of 209: 13
• Sweden — 27th of 209: 13
• Uganda — 28th of 209: 13
• American Samoa — 30th of 209: 12
• Andorra — 31st of 209: 12
• Angola — 32nd of 209: 12

What this measures

Lower secondary school starting age is the age at which students would enter lower secondary education, assuming they had started at the official entrance age for the lowest level of education, had studied full-time throughout and had progressed through the system without repeating or skipping a grade.

Limitations: The theoretical entrance age to a given programme or level is typically, but not always, the most common entrance age.

All 56 values

Lower secondary school starting age (years) in nearby economies

• Angola — 12 (2025)
• Benin — 12 (2025)
• Botswana — 13 (2025)
• Burkina Faso — 12 (2025)
• Burundi — 12 (2025)
• Cabo Verde — 12 (2025)
• Cameroon — 12 (2025)
• Central African Republic — 12 (2025)
• Chad — 12 (2025)
• Comoros — 11 (2025)

More education data for Zimbabwe

• Primary school starting age (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 7 (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) — 1.01 (2021)
• Primary education, teachers (% female)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Zimbabwe's lower secondary school starting age (years)?

13 in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1970?

It is down 7.14% from 14 in 1970 (0.13% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 14 in 1970 and the lowest 13 in 1987.

How does Zimbabwe rank?

5th highest of 209 economies with data for 2025.

Where does this data come from?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, 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..

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.SEC.AGES, 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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