School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes was 3.15 years in 2013. ◆ Volatile
School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in Zimbabwe, 1970–2013
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in Zimbabwe is 3.15 years, measured in 2013. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.
The figure is up 1.6% on the previous year and up 31.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in Zimbabwe peaked at 3.15 years in 2013 and was at its lowest, 0.4306 years, in 1970.
Zimbabwe ranks 164th of 198 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 0.4306 years | — |
| 1971 | 0.4411 years | +2.4% |
| 1972 | 0.4751 years | +7.7% |
| 1973 | 0.4872 years | +2.5% |
| 1974 | 0.4894 years | +0.4% |
| 1975 | 0.5042 years | +3.0% |
| 1976 | 0.5067 years | +0.5% |
| 1977 | 0.5091 years | +0.5% |
| 1978 | 0.4861 years | -4.5% |
| 1979 | 0.4343 years | -10.7% |
| 1980 | 0.4474 years | +3.0% |
| 1981 | 0.8592 years | +92.1% |
| 1982 | 1.26 years | +47.0% |
| 1983 | 1.69 years | +33.7% |
| 1984 | 2.14 years | +26.6% |
| 1985 | 2.38 years | +11.5% |
| 1986 | 2.55 years | +7.1% |
| 1987 | 2.66 years | +4.2% |
| 1988 | 2.72 years | +2.0% |
| 1989 | 2.74 years | +0.8% |
| 1990 | 2.6 years | -5.0% |
| 1991 | 2.7 years | +3.8% |
| 1992 | 2.42 years | -10.5% |
| 1993 | 2.28 years | -5.5% |
| 1994 | 2.3 years | +0.9% |
| 1995 | 2.44 years | +5.7% |
| 1996 | 2.54 years | +4.4% |
| 1997 | 2.7 years | +6.2% |
| 1999 | 2.74 years | +1.3% |
| 2000 | 2.72 years | -0.7% |
| 2001 | 2.77 years | +2.1% |
| 2002 | 2.63 years | -5.0% |
| 2003 | 2.4 years | -8.9% |
| 2012 | 3.1 years | +29.3% |
| 2013 | 3.15 years | +1.6% |
Zimbabwe compared with similar countries
- Zimbabwe's 3.15 years is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 4.11 years, 77% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Zimbabwe's 3.15 years is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3.01 years, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where School life expectancy, secondary, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | +92.1% | 0.4474 years | 0.8592 years |
| 1982 | +47.0% | 0.8592 years | 1.26 years |
| 1983 | +33.7% | 1.26 years | 1.69 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.4764 years | 0.4306 years | 0.5091 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.95 years | 0.4474 years | 2.74 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.52 years | 2.28 years | 2.74 years | 9 |
| 2000s | 2.63 years | 2.4 years | 2.77 years | 4 |
| 2010s | 3.13 years | 3.1 years | 3.15 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)
- Political opposition, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Elected parliament and government, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in Zimbabwe?
- School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in Zimbabwe was 3.15 years in 2013, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 3.15 years in 2013.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.4306 years in 1970.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes?
- Zimbabwe ranks 164th out of 198 countries with data for 2013.
- Is school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is up 31.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Zimbabwe data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of School life expectancy, secondary, 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.