School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: School life expectancy, primary, both sexes was 7.86 years in 2013. ▲ Rising
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Zimbabwe, 1970–2013
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2013, school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Zimbabwe stood at 7.86 years.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.9% on the previous year and up 7.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Zimbabwe peaked at 8.69 years in 1984 and was at its lowest, 4.02 years, in 1979.
That places Zimbabwe 11th out of 199 countries with data for 2013, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 4.91 years | — |
| 1971 | 4.46 years | -9.1% |
| 1972 | 4.66 years | +4.3% |
| 1973 | 4.69 years | +0.7% |
| 1974 | 4.78 years | +1.9% |
| 1975 | 4.78 years | -0.0% |
| 1976 | 4.72 years | -1.1% |
| 1977 | 4.61 years | -2.4% |
| 1978 | 4.14 years | -10.2% |
| 1979 | 4.02 years | -2.9% |
| 1980 | 5.75 years | +43.0% |
| 1981 | 7.71 years | +34.2% |
| 1982 | 8.28 years | +7.4% |
| 1983 | 8.51 years | +2.8% |
| 1984 | 8.69 years | +2.1% |
| 1985 | 8.52 years | -1.9% |
| 1986 | 8.54 years | +0.2% |
| 1987 | 7.77 years | -9.0% |
| 1988 | 7.45 years | -4.1% |
| 1989 | 7.39 years | -0.8% |
| 1990 | 6.93 years | -6.3% |
| 1991 | 7.37 years | +6.5% |
| 1992 | 7.3 years | -1.1% |
| 1993 | 7.58 years | +3.9% |
| 1995 | 7.54 years | -0.6% |
| 1996 | 7.46 years | -1.1% |
| 1997 | 7.44 years | -0.2% |
| 1998 | 7.42 years | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 7.35 years | -1.0% |
| 2000 | 7.41 years | +0.7% |
| 2001 | 7.7 years | +4.0% |
| 2002 | 7.36 years | -4.5% |
| 2003 | 7.3 years | -0.8% |
| 2012 | 8.01 years | +9.7% |
| 2013 | 7.86 years | -1.9% |
Zimbabwe compared with similar countries
- Zimbabwe's 7.86 years is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 6.4 years, 1.2× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Zimbabwe's 7.86 years is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 6.43 years, 1.2× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Zimbabwe changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | +43.0% | 4.02 years | 5.75 years |
| 1981 | +34.2% | 5.75 years | 7.71 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 4.58 years | 4.02 years | 4.91 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 7.86 years | 5.75 years | 8.69 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 7.38 years | 6.93 years | 7.58 years | 9 |
| 2000s | 7.44 years | 7.3 years | 7.7 years | 4 |
| 2010s | 7.93 years | 7.86 years | 8.01 years | 2 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
More reference data data for Zimbabwe
- Exchange rate, new LCU per USD extended backward, period average 58,959 (2026)
- Exchange rate, old LCU per USD extended forward, period average 58,959 (2026)
- Official exchange rate, LCU per USD, period average 58,959 (2026)
- Global number of reported disasters by size, gaps filled 0 events (2024)
- Annual precipitation, annual growth rate 122.78 % change on previous year (2025)
- Free country, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Civil liberties rating, gaps filled 5 (2025)
- Civil liberties rating, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Civil liberties rating, per capita 0 units per person (2025)
- Consumer price index 11,077 2010 = 100 (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Zimbabwe?
- School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Zimbabwe was 7.86 years in 2013, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 8.69 years in 1984.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.02 years in 1979.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for school life expectancy, primary, both sexes?
- Zimbabwe ranks 11th out of 199 countries with data for 2013.
- Is school life expectancy, primary, both sexes rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zimbabwe data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Number of years a person of school entrance age can expect to spend within the specified level of education. For a child of a certain age a, the school life expectancy is calculated as the sum of the age specific enrolment rates for the levels of education specified. The part of the enrolment that is not distributed by age is divided by the school-age population for the level of education they are enrolled in, and multiplied by the duration of that level of education. The result is then added to the sum of the age-specific enrolment rates. A relatively high SLE indicates greater probability for children to spend more years in education and higher overall retention within the education system. It must be noted that the expected number of years does not necessarily coincide with the expected number of grades of education completed, because of repetition. Since school life expectancy is an average based on participation in different levels of education, the expected number of years of schooling may be pulled down by the magnitude of children who never go to school. Those children who are in school may benefit from many more years of education than the average.