Literacy rate in Zambia in 2024 — 71.77%. Ranked 27 in the world out of 29. Since 1990, the indicator has risen by 6.77 pp.
1990–2024 · % of population aged 15+
How the value compares with the world and the groups this territory belongs to: Zambia
| Year | % | Change, pp |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 71.77 | — |
| 2022 | 79.98 | +0.03 pp |
| 2021 | 79.95 | −1.8 pp |
| 2020 | 81.75 | — |
| 2018 | 71.13 | — |
| 2010 | 83.14 | — |
| 2002 | 69.15 | — |
| 1999 | 68 | — |
| 1990 | 65 | — |
The same indicator for neighboring countries — with links to their pages
Uganda
77.04
Zambia
71.77
The share of the population aged 15 and older able to read and write a short simple statement about their everyday life. The UNESCO definition is deliberately minimal — it is the threshold of functional literacy, not an assessment of the quality of education. In most countries the data come from censuses and surveys, so they are updated irregularly.
Important: The series is incomplete: values are published only for the years in which a census or a literacy survey was conducted.
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), license CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO.
What share of their potential a child born today will manage to realize.
Education Population with tertiary educationWhat share of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
Education Primary completion rateWhat share of children reach the last grade of primary school.
Education Primary school enrollmentThe net enrollment rate: the share of children of school age attending primary school.