Lower secondary school completion rates, adjusted gender parity index in Zambia
Zambia: Lower secondary school completion rates, adjusted gender parity index was 1.1 index in 2025. ▲ Rising
Lower secondary school completion rates, adjusted gender parity index in Zambia, 1981–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in index.
Analysis
In 2025, lower secondary school completion rates, adjusted gender parity index in Zambia stood at 1.1 index. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
The figure is up 0.8% on the previous year and up 8.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, lower secondary school completion rates, adjusted gender parity index in Zambia peaked at 1.1 index in 2025 and was at its lowest, 0.5825 index, in 1981.
Zambia ranks 40th of 164 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Lower secondary school completion rates, adjusted gender parity index in Zambia, year by year
| Year | index | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 0.5825 index | — |
| 1982 | 0.5899 index | +1.3% |
| 1983 | 0.5972 index | +1.2% |
| 1984 | 0.607 index | +1.6% |
| 1985 | 0.622 index | +2.5% |
| 1986 | 0.6324 index | +1.7% |
| 1987 | 0.6404 index | +1.3% |
| 1988 | 0.6521 index | +1.8% |
| 1989 | 0.6673 index | +2.3% |
| 1990 | 0.6827 index | +2.3% |
| 1991 | 0.695 index | +1.8% |
| 1992 | 0.7063 index | +1.6% |
| 1993 | 0.7193 index | +1.8% |
| 1994 | 0.7365 index | +2.4% |
| 1995 | 0.7571 index | +2.8% |
| 1996 | 0.7724 index | +2.0% |
| 1997 | 0.7877 index | +2.0% |
| 1998 | 0.8033 index | +2.0% |
| 1999 | 0.8246 index | +2.7% |
| 2000 | 0.8375 index | +1.6% |
| 2001 | 0.8419 index | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 0.8422 index | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.8508 index | +1.0% |
| 2004 | 0.8611 index | +1.2% |
| 2005 | 0.8685 index | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 0.8677 index | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 0.873 index | +0.6% |
| 2008 | 0.8795 index | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 0.8945 index | +1.7% |
| 2010 | 0.9082 index | +1.5% |
| 2011 | 0.9313 index | +2.5% |
| 2012 | 0.9559 index | +2.6% |
| 2013 | 0.9814 index | +2.7% |
| 2014 | 1 index | +1.9% |
| 2015 | 1.01 index | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 1.02 index | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 1.03 index | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 1.04 index | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 1.05 index | +1.3% |
| 2020 | 1.06 index | +0.7% |
| 2021 | 1.07 index | +1.2% |
| 2022 | 1.08 index | +0.7% |
| 2023 | 1.08 index | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 1.09 index | +0.6% |
| 2025 | 1.1 index | +0.8% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 1.1 index is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1.09 index, 1.0× the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 1.1 index is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.05 index, 1.0× the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.6212 index | 0.5825 index | 0.6673 index | 9 |
| 1990s | 0.7485 index | 0.6827 index | 0.8246 index | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.8617 index | 0.8375 index | 0.8945 index | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.9932 index | 0.9082 index | 1.05 index | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.08 index | 1.06 index | 1.1 index | 6 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
More gender data for Zambia
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 9,719 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth 1.61 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 15,306 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 15,306 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 3.24 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 340,219 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 341,639 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 331,557 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 332,331 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 324,712 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is lower secondary school completion rates, adjusted gender parity index in Zambia?
- Lower secondary school completion rates, adjusted gender parity index in Zambia was 1.1 index in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest lower secondary school completion rates, adjusted gender parity index recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 1.1 index in 2025.
- What is the lowest lower secondary school completion rates, adjusted gender parity index recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.5825 index in 1981.
- How does Zambia rank for lower secondary school completion rates, adjusted gender parity index?
- Zambia ranks 40th out of 164 countries with data for 2025.
- Is lower secondary school completion rates, adjusted gender parity index rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Lower secondary school completion rates, adjusted gender parity index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
An adjusted gender parity index of 1 indicates equal lower secondary school completion rates between boys and girls. Values below 1 favor boys, and values above 1 favor girls.