Zambia is a lower-middle-income country with a population of 21.3M people. The capital and largest city is Lusaka, with 2.47M residents. Zambia shares land borders with the DR Congo, Angola, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Tanzania, Namibia and Botswana.
Zambia ranks 115/197 by GDP ($26.3B) and 169/197 by GDP per capita ($1,235). The top export category is metals, while the top import is raw materials & minerals.
Main facts and rankings
Zambia
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| Population |
22402291
|
62/197 |
| GDP |
$26.3B
2024 |
115/197 |
| GDP per capita |
$1,235
2024 |
169/197 |
| GDP per capita, PPP |
$4,224
2024 |
164/197 |
| Government debt |
$30.3B
2024 |
90/185 |
| Debt-to-GDP ratio |
99%
2025 |
25/185 |
| Government debt per person |
$1,420
2024 |
132/185 |
| Average annual personal income after taxes |
$1,168
2025 |
192/197 |
| Land area | 287,024 sq mi | 37/197 |
| Population density | 74.3 ppl/mi² | 158/197 |
| Fertility rate | 4.1 | 24/196 |
| Median age | 18.8 years | 182/196 |
| Life expectancy | 66.7 years | 162/197 |
Zambia trends dashboard: time-series charts
| Year | GDP |
|---|---|
| 1960 | $698,739,721 |
| 1961 | $682,359,727 |
| 1962 | $679,279,729 |
| 1963 | $704,339,719 |
| 1964 | $822,639,671 |
| 1965 | $1,061,199,576 |
| 1966 | $1,238,999,505 |
| 1967 | $1,340,639,464 |
| 1968 | $1,573,739,371 |
| 1969 | $1,926,399,230 |
| 1970 | $1,788,779,285 |
| 1971 | $1,653,259,341 |
| 1972 | $1,872,416,680 |
| 1973 | $2,434,255,237 |
| 1974 | $2,910,981,262 |
| 1975 | $2,442,672,141 |
| 1976 | $2,742,859,263 |
| 1977 | $2,515,296,940 |
| 1978 | $2,811,032,473 |
| 1979 | $3,353,445,378 |
| 1980 | $3,884,530,854 |
| 1981 | $4,008,126,497 |
| 1982 | $3,871,117,093 |
| 1983 | $3,321,048,451 |
| 1984 | $2,719,518,933 |
| 1985 | $2,252,454,500 |
| 1986 | $1,664,413,508 |
| 1987 | $2,265,250,972 |
| 1988 | $3,728,878,149 |
| 1989 | $3,994,673,161 |
| 1990 | $3,288,381,797 |
| 1991 | $3,376,806,697 |
| 1992 | $3,182,810,841 |
| 1993 | $3,273,505,344 |
| 1994 | $3,656,806,166 |
| 1995 | $3,806,983,413 |
| 1996 | $3,597,220,962 |
| 1997 | $4,303,288,480 |
| 1998 | $3,537,741,942 |
| 1999 | $3,404,284,891 |
| 2000 | $3,600,632,111 |
| 2001 | $4,094,441,301 |
| 2002 | $4,193,850,445 |
| 2003 | $4,901,869,764 |
| 2004 | $6,221,110,219 |
| 2005 | $8,331,870,169 |
| 2006 | $12,756,858,899 |
| 2007 | $14,056,957,976 |
| 2008 | $17,910,858,638 |
| 2009 | $15,328,342,304 |
| 2010 | $20,265,559,484 |
| 2011 | $23,459,515,276 |
| 2012 | $25,503,060,420 |
| 2013 | $28,037,239,463 |
| 2014 | $27,141,023,558 |
| 2015 | $21,251,216,799 |
| 2016 | $20,958,412,538 |
| 2017 | $25,873,601,261 |
| 2018 | $26,311,507,274 |
| 2019 | $23,308,667,781 |
| 2020 | $18,137,764,931 |
| 2021 | $22,096,416,932 |
| 2022 | $29,163,782,140 |
| 2023 | $27,577,956,471 |
| 2024 | $26,325,775,287 |
| Year | GDP per capita |
|---|---|
| 1960 | $221.6 |
| 1961 | $209.7 |
| 1962 | $202.3 |
| 1963 | $203.2 |
| 1964 | $230 |
| 1965 | $287.4 |
| 1966 | $325 |
| 1967 | $341 |
| 1968 | $387 |
| 1969 | $459 |
| 1970 | $414 |
| 1971 | $372 |
| 1972 | $410 |
| 1973 | $518 |
| 1974 | $601 |
| 1975 | $490 |
| 1976 | $533 |
| 1977 | $474 |
| 1978 | $514 |
| 1979 | $595 |
| 1980 | $669 |
| 1981 | $670 |
| 1982 | $627 |
| 1983 | $520 |
| 1984 | $413 |
| 1985 | $332 |
| 1986 | $238.2 |
| 1987 | $315 |
| 1988 | $504 |
| 1989 | $526 |
| 1990 | $422 |
| 1991 | $423 |
| 1992 | $389 |
| 1993 | $391 |
| 1994 | $426 |
| 1995 | $433 |
| 1996 | $400 |
| 1997 | $466 |
| 1998 | $373 |
| 1999 | $350 |
| 2000 | $359 |
| 2001 | $397 |
| 2002 | $394 |
| 2003 | $446 |
| 2004 | $549 |
| 2005 | $711 |
| 2006 | $1,052 |
| 2007 | $1,119 |
| 2008 | $1,376 |
| 2009 | $1,136 |
| 2010 | $1,451 |
| 2011 | $1,625 |
| 2012 | $1,710 |
| 2013 | $1,821 |
| 2014 | $1,707 |
| 2015 | $1,296 |
| 2016 | $1,239 |
| 2017 | $1,483 |
| 2018 | $1,464 |
| 2019 | $1,259 |
| 2020 | $952 |
| 2021 | $1,127 |
| 2022 | $1,447 |
| 2023 | $1,331 |
| 2024 | $1,235 |
Zambia's life expectancy calculator
| Year | Life expectancy, years |
|---|---|
| 1950 | 46.8 |
| 1951 | 47.2 |
| 1952 | 47.6 |
| 1953 | 48 |
| 1954 | 48.4 |
| 1955 | 48.8 |
| 1956 | 49.1 |
| 1957 | 49.5 |
| 1958 | 49.9 |
| 1959 | 50.3 |
| 1960 | 50.6 |
| 1961 | 51 |
| 1962 | 51.3 |
| 1963 | 51.6 |
| 1964 | 51.2 |
| 1965 | 52.1 |
| 1966 | 52.3 |
| 1967 | 52.5 |
| 1968 | 52.7 |
| 1969 | 53 |
| 1970 | 53.4 |
| 1971 | 53.9 |
| 1972 | 54.4 |
| 1973 | 54.9 |
| 1974 | 55.4 |
| 1975 | 55.7 |
| 1976 | 56.1 |
| 1977 | 56.3 |
| 1978 | 56.3 |
| 1979 | 56 |
| 1980 | 55.5 |
| 1981 | 55 |
| 1982 | 54.4 |
| 1983 | 53.7 |
| 1984 | 52.9 |
| 1985 | 52 |
| 1986 | 51.1 |
| 1987 | 50.4 |
| 1988 | 49.7 |
| 1989 | 48.9 |
| 1990 | 48.2 |
| 1991 | 47.4 |
| 1992 | 47 |
| 1993 | 46.7 |
| 1994 | 46.3 |
| 1995 | 46.1 |
| 1996 | 45.8 |
| 1997 | 45.7 |
| 1998 | 45.7 |
| 1999 | 45.9 |
| 2000 | 46.6 |
| 2001 | 47.4 |
| 2002 | 48.5 |
| 2003 | 49.6 |
| 2004 | 50.5 |
| 2005 | 51.6 |
| 2006 | 52.7 |
| 2007 | 53.7 |
| 2008 | 54.8 |
| 2009 | 55.9 |
| 2010 | 56.9 |
| 2011 | 57.8 |
| 2012 | 58.7 |
| 2013 | 59.4 |
| 2014 | 60.1 |
| 2015 | 60.7 |
| 2016 | 61.1 |
| 2017 | 61.6 |
| 2018 | 62.1 |
| 2019 | 62.9 |
| 2020 | 63.4 |
| 2021 | 62.4 |
| 2022 | 65.3 |
| 2023 | 66.3 |
| 2024 | 66.5 |
| 2025 | 66.7 |
Zambia's population clock and projection
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1960 | 3,153,729 |
| 1961 | 3,254,086 |
| 1962 | 3,358,099 |
| 1963 | 3,465,907 |
| 1964 | 3,577,017 |
| 1965 | 3,692,086 |
| 1966 | 3,812,003 |
| 1967 | 3,936,343 |
| 1968 | 4,065,593 |
| 1969 | 4,197,116 |
| 1970 | 4,321,718 |
| 1971 | 4,442,525 |
| 1972 | 4,569,309 |
| 1973 | 4,702,693 |
| 1974 | 4,842,746 |
| 1975 | 4,990,086 |
| 1976 | 5,143,842 |
| 1977 | 5,302,480 |
| 1978 | 5,465,374 |
| 1979 | 5,631,728 |
| 1980 | 5,802,833 |
| 1981 | 5,983,289 |
| 1982 | 6,178,637 |
| 1983 | 6,381,038 |
| 1984 | 6,580,490 |
| 1985 | 6,780,953 |
| 1986 | 6,986,471 |
| 1987 | 7,191,282 |
| 1988 | 7,391,440 |
| 1989 | 7,589,216 |
| 1990 | 7,786,169 |
| 1991 | 7,981,650 |
| 1992 | 8,176,680 |
| 1993 | 8,373,921 |
| 1994 | 8,576,269 |
| 1995 | 8,785,763 |
| 1996 | 9,004,053 |
| 1997 | 9,237,063 |
| 1998 | 9,482,408 |
| 1999 | 9,740,005 |
| 2000 | 10,017,631 |
| 2001 | 10,325,185 |
| 2002 | 10,647,949 |
| 2003 | 10,983,595 |
| 2004 | 11,338,198 |
| 2005 | 11,718,819 |
| 2006 | 12,129,553 |
| 2007 | 12,565,085 |
| 2008 | 13,021,324 |
| 2009 | 13,490,389 |
| 2010 | 13,965,594 |
| 2011 | 14,437,796 |
| 2012 | 14,913,629 |
| 2013 | 15,398,997 |
| 2014 | 15,895,315 |
| 2015 | 16,399,089 |
| 2016 | 16,914,423 |
| 2017 | 17,441,320 |
| 2018 | 17,973,569 |
| 2019 | 18,513,839 |
| 2020 | 19,059,395 |
| 2021 | 19,603,607 |
| 2022 | 20,152,938 |
| 2023 | 20,723,965 |
| 2024 | 21,314,956 |
Zambia's birth and fertility rates
| Year | Fertility rate |
|---|---|
| 1960 | 6.95 |
| 1961 | 6.98 |
| 1962 | 7.01 |
| 1963 | 7.06 |
| 1964 | 7.09 |
| 1965 | 7.12 |
| 1966 | 7.14 |
| 1967 | 7.15 |
| 1968 | 7.18 |
| 1969 | 7.18 |
| 1970 | 7.22 |
| 1971 | 7.26 |
| 1972 | 7.3 |
| 1973 | 7.34 |
| 1974 | 7.36 |
| 1975 | 7.42 |
| 1976 | 7.39 |
| 1977 | 7.35 |
| 1978 | 7.29 |
| 1979 | 7.22 |
| 1980 | 7.14 |
| 1981 | 7.07 |
| 1982 | 7.04 |
| 1983 | 7.01 |
| 1984 | 6.97 |
| 1985 | 6.93 |
| 1986 | 6.87 |
| 1987 | 6.8 |
| 1988 | 6.7 |
| 1989 | 6.64 |
| 1990 | 6.57 |
| 1991 | 6.46 |
| 1992 | 6.35 |
| 1993 | 6.3 |
| 1994 | 6.26 |
| 1995 | 6.23 |
| 1996 | 6.18 |
| 1997 | 6.12 |
| 1998 | 6.07 |
| 1999 | 6 |
| 2000 | 5.92 |
| 2001 | 5.85 |
| 2002 | 5.77 |
| 2003 | 5.71 |
| 2004 | 5.7 |
| 2005 | 5.7 |
| 2006 | 5.68 |
| 2007 | 5.61 |
| 2008 | 5.53 |
| 2009 | 5.45 |
| 2010 | 5.36 |
| 2011 | 5.26 |
| 2012 | 5.14 |
| 2013 | 5.01 |
| 2014 | 4.89 |
| 2015 | 4.78 |
| 2016 | 4.67 |
| 2017 | 4.57 |
| 2018 | 4.49 |
| 2019 | 4.42 |
| 2020 | 4.32 |
| 2021 | 4.25 |
| 2022 | 4.18 |
| 2023 | 4.1 |
| Year | Median age, years |
|---|---|
| 1960 | 17 |
| 1961 | 16.9 |
| 1962 | 16.8 |
| 1963 | 16.7 |
| 1964 | 16.6 |
| 1965 | 16.6 |
| 1966 | 16.5 |
| 1967 | 16.5 |
| 1968 | 16.4 |
| 1969 | 16.4 |
| 1970 | 16.2 |
| 1971 | 16.1 |
| 1972 | 15.9 |
| 1973 | 15.8 |
| 1974 | 15.7 |
| 1975 | 15.5 |
| 1976 | 15.4 |
| 1977 | 15.4 |
| 1978 | 15.3 |
| 1979 | 15.3 |
| 1980 | 15.2 |
| 1981 | 15.3 |
| 1982 | 15.3 |
| 1983 | 15.4 |
| 1984 | 15.4 |
| 1985 | 15.5 |
| 1986 | 15.5 |
| 1987 | 15.6 |
| 1988 | 15.6 |
| 1989 | 15.7 |
| 1990 | 15.7 |
| 1991 | 15.7 |
| 1992 | 15.8 |
| 1993 | 15.8 |
| 1994 | 15.8 |
| 1995 | 15.8 |
| 1996 | 15.8 |
| 1997 | 15.8 |
| 1998 | 15.8 |
| 1999 | 15.8 |
| 2000 | 15.9 |
| 2001 | 15.9 |
| 2002 | 16 |
| 2003 | 16.1 |
| 2004 | 16.2 |
| 2005 | 16.3 |
| 2006 | 16.3 |
| 2007 | 16.4 |
| 2008 | 16.5 |
| 2009 | 16.6 |
| 2010 | 16.7 |
| 2011 | 16.8 |
| 2012 | 16.9 |
| 2013 | 17 |
| 2014 | 17.1 |
| 2015 | 17.2 |
| 2016 | 17.4 |
| 2017 | 17.5 |
| 2018 | 17.7 |
| 2019 | 17.9 |
| 2020 | 18 |
| 2021 | 18.2 |
| 2022 | 18.4 |
| 2023 | 18.6 |
| 2024 | 18.8 |
Zambia vs. World: Interactive Maps
Use the buttons below to toggle between world maps that display different statistics comparing Zambia with other countries.
GDP per capita
GDP
Life expectancy
Population
Population density
Fertility rate
Median age
Land area
Zambia: National Statistics
Finance
|
Zambia
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| GNI, Atlas method |
$27B
2024 |
112/194 |
| Government expenditure, % of GDP |
27.3%
2025 |
114/195 |
| Education expenditure, % of GDP |
4.07%
2023 |
99/193 |
| Military expenditure, % of GDP |
1.3%
2023 |
103/163 |
| Armed forces personnel |
16,000
2020 |
116/174 |
| Deficit/surplus, % of GDP |
-4.92%
2025 |
137/188 |
| Unemployment rate |
5.86%
2023 |
81/196 |
| Services, % of GDP |
55.1%
2024 |
107/191 |
| Industry, % of GDP |
37.5%
2024 |
28/194 |
| Economic freedom index |
50.9
2025 |
162/197 |
| Income share by richest 10% |
39.1%
2022 |
10/169 |
| Income share by poorest 10% |
1.5%
2022 |
158/169 |
| Listed domestic companies |
20
2024 |
90/103 |
| Market capitalization of domestic companies |
$7.77B
2024 |
71/100 |
| Total reserves including gold |
$4.09B
2024 |
106/177 |
| Personal remittances received |
$334M
2024 |
121/190 |
| International tourist arrivals |
502,000
2020 |
121/188 |
| Banked people share |
72.7%
2024 |
75/158 |
Energy
|
Zambia
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy use, kg of oil equivalent per capita |
801 kg
2022 |
107/177 |
| GDP PPP per kg equivalent of energy use |
$4.8
2022 |
168/173 |
| Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions |
8.06 megatons
2023 |
117/187 |
| CO2 emissions per capita |
0.39 tons
2023 |
156/187 |
| Fossil fuel energy use share |
18.4%
2022 |
133/176 |
| Renewable energy use share |
83%
2021 |
11/193 |
| Alternative and nuclear energy use share |
9.18%
2022 |
58/147 |
| Net energy imports use share |
9.03%
2022 |
95/144 |
| Electric power consumption per capita |
704 kWh
2022 |
112/147 |
| Renewable electricity output share |
92.1%
2021 |
14/192 |
| Hydroelectric share |
87.7%
2022 |
11/192 |
| Nuclear share |
0%
2021 |
191/192 |
| Electricity access |
51.1%
2023 |
178/195 |
Society
|
Zambia
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| % of world population |
0.26%
2024 |
63/197 |
| Annual migration change |
+7,381
2024 |
50/196 |
| Urban population |
46.9%
2024 |
139/195 |
| Male:Female ratio |
50:50
2024 |
N/A |
| Average male height |
5.5 ft
2025 |
162/190 |
| Average female height |
5.16 ft
2025 |
152/190 |
| Quality of life index |
30
2025 |
152/197 |
| Corruption Perceptions Index |
39
2024 |
111/197 |
| Higher education index |
47
2025 |
99/183 |
| Homicides per 100K people |
5.25
2015 |
68/197 |
| Road traffic mortality per 100K people |
20.5
2019 |
68/197 |
| Visa free countries |
76
2025 |
130/195 |
| Adult literacy rate |
82%
2023 |
147/196 |
| English speaking |
16%
2023 |
113/197 |
| People using the Internet |
33%
2023 |
167/195 |
Health
|
Zambia
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| Government health expenditure per capita |
$76.1
2022 |
157/191 |
| Out-of-pocket health expenditure per capita |
$7.37
2022 |
181/191 |
| Life expectancy |
66.7 years
2025 |
162/197 |
| Foreign aid share of health expenditure |
41.4%
2022 |
13/178 |
| Physicians per 1,000 people |
0.26
2022 |
150/193 |
| Age at first childbirth |
19.2 years
2025 |
131/137 |
| Maternal mortality per 100K births |
85
2023 |
69/193 |
| Mortality rate before reaching 5 years of age, per 1,000 live births |
44.7
2023 |
33/192 |
| Obesity rate |
11.2%
2022 |
155/189 |
| Diabetes prevalence |
10.3%
2024 |
73/195 |
| Air quality index |
30
2025 |
140/197 |
| Tobacco use prevalence |
14.6%
2022 |
104/164 |
| Pure alcohol consumption per capita |
3.62 liters
2020 |
108/186 |
Territory
|
Zambia
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| % of world land |
0.5%
2025 |
37/197 |
| Land area per capita |
13,466 sq mi
2024 |
40/197 |
| Agricultural land area |
92,043 sq mi
2025 |
47/194 |
| Forest area |
170,848 sq mi
2025 |
17/196 |
| Roads length |
42,049 mi
2018 |
67/175 |
Compare Zambia with other countries
Relevant pages:
Zambia topic pages:
Facts comparisons
