# Demographics of Zambia

Demographic features of the population of Zambia include population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and others aspects of the population.
Zambia's youthful population consists primarily of Bantu-speaking people representing nearly 70 different ethnicities. Zambia's high fertility rate continues to drive rapid population growth, averaging almost 3 percent annually between 2000 and 2010. The country's total fertility rate has fallen by less than 1.5 children per woman during the last 30 years and still averages among the world's highest, almost 6 children per woman, largely because of the country's lack of access to family planning services, education for girls, and employment for women. Zambia also exhibits wide fertility disparities based on rural or urban location, education, and income. Poor, uneducated women from rural areas are more likely to marry young, to give birth early, and to have more children, viewing children as a sign of prestige and recognizing that not all of their children will live to adulthood.

## Population

According to the 2022 revision of the World Population Prospects the total population of Zambia is 19,473,125 in 2021, compared to only 2,340,000 in 1950. The proportion of children below the age of 15 in 2010 was 46.4%, 50.6% was between 15 and 65 years of age, while 3.1% was 65 years or older.
| | Total population | Population aged 0–14 (%) | Population aged 15–64 (%) | Population aged 65+ (%) |
| 1950 | 2 340 000 | 44.9 | 52.3 | 2.7 |
| 1955 | 2 653 000 | 44.7 | 52.7 | 2.6 |
| 1960 | 3 045 000 | 44.9 | 52.6 | 2.5 |
| 1965 | 3 537 000 | 45.2 | 52.2 | 2.6 |
| 1970 | 4 139 000 | 46.4 | 50.9 | 2.7 |
| 1975 | 4 900 000 | 47.0 | 50.3 | 2.7 |
| 1980 | 5 775 000 | 47.3 | 49.9 | 2.8 |
| 1985 | 6 785 000 | 46.6 | 50.6 | 2.8 |
| 1990 | 7 860 000 | 45.8 | 51.4 | 2.8 |
| 1995 | 8 919 000 | 45.3 | 51.8 | 2.9 |
| 2000 | 10 202 000 | 45.3 | 51.8 | 2.9 |
| 2005 | 11 462 000 | 45.9 | 51.0 | 3.0 |
| 2010 | 13 089 000 | 46.4 | 50.6 | 3.1 |
| 2018 | 17,351,708 | | | |
Population Estimates by Sex and Age Group (01.VII.2020) (Data based on the 2010 Population Census.):
| Age Group | Male | Female | Total | % |
| Total | 8 852 174 | 9 033 248 | 17 885 422 | 100 |
| 0–4 | 1 579 231 | 1 554 009 | 3 133 240 | 17.52 |
| 5–9 | 1 357 442 | 1 343 776 | 2 701 218 | 15.10 |
| 10–14 | 1 160 256 | 1 154 409 | 2 314 665 | 12.94 |
| 15–19 | 958 687 | 954 923 | 1 913 610 | 10.70 |
| 20–24 | 833 604 | 851 421 | 1 685 025 | 9.42 |
| 25–29 | 693 050 | 727 248 | 1 420 298 | 7.94 |
| 30–34 | 496 336 | 579 946 | 1 076 282 | 6.02 |
| 35–39 | 433 030 | 493 825 | 926 855 | 5.18 |
| 40–44 | 361 566 | 362 160 | 723 726 | 4.05 |
| 45–49 | 298 359 | 283 452 | 581 811 | 3.25 |
| 50–54 | 205 799 | 193 301 | 399 100 | 2.23 |
| 55–59 | 153 109 | 160 905 | 314 014 | 1.76 |
| 60–64 | 109 330 | 123 190 | 232 520 | 1.30 |
| 65-69 | 72 624 | 79 062 | 151 686 | 0.85 |
| 70-74 | 54 288 | 68 013 | 122 301 | 0.68 |
| 75-79 | 35 056 | 44 637 | 79 693 | 0.45 |
| 80+ | 50 407 | 58 971 | 109 378 | 0.61 |
| Age group | Male | Female | Total | Percent |
| 0–14 | 4 096 929 | 4 052 194 | 8 149 123 | 45.56 |
| 15–64 | 4 542 870 | 4 730 371 | 9 273 241 | 51.85 |
| 65+ | 212 375 | 250 683 | 463 058 | 2.59 |

## Vital statistics

Registration of vital events is in Zambia not complete. The website Our World in Data prepared the following estimates based on statistics from the Population Department of the United Nations.
| | Mid-year population (thousands) | Live births (thousands) | Deaths (thousands) | Natural change (thousands) | Crude birth rate (per 1000) | Crude death rate (per 1000) | Natural change (per 1000) | Total fertility rate (TFR) | Infant mortality (per 1000 live births) | Life expectancy (in years) |
| 1950 | 2 318 | 113 | 46 | 67 | 48.6 | 19.7 | 28.8 | 6.62 | 135.9 | 45.12 |
| 1951 | 2 385 | 116 | 47 | 69 | 48.6 | 19.7 | 28.9 | 6.64 | 134.9 | 45.28 |
| 1952 | 2 454 | 119 | 48 | 72 | 48.7 | 19.4 | 29.2 | 6.68 | 132.9 | 45.68 |
| 1953 | 2 525 | 123 | 48 | 75 | 48.8 | 19.1 | 29.7 | 6.72 | 130.8 | 46.14 |
| 1954 | 2 600 | 127 | 49 | 78 | 48.9 | 18.9 | 30.1 | 6.76 | 128.9 | 46.53 |
| 1955 | 2 677 | 132 | 50 | 82 | 49.1 | 18.6 | 30.5 | 6.82 | 126.9 | 46.95 |
| 1956 | 2 758 | 136 | 51 | 85 | 49.3 | 18.4 | 30.9 | 6.87 | 124.8 | 47.37 |
| 1957 | 2 843 | 141 | 52 | 89 | 49.4 | 18.1 | 31.3 | 6.93 | 122.8 | 47.75 |
| 1958 | 2 931 | 146 | 52 | 93 | 49.6 | 17.8 | 31.8 | 6.99 | 120.8 | 48.23 |
| 1959 | 3 023 | 151 | 53 | 98 | 49.8 | 17.5 | 32.3 | 7.06 | 118.8 | 48.65 |
| 1960 | 3 119 | 156 | 54 | 102 | 49.9 | 17.3 | 32.6 | 7.12 | 116.9 | 49.04 |
| 1961 | 3 219 | 161 | 55 | 106 | 50.0 | 17.0 | 33.0 | 7.17 | 115.1 | 49.45 |
| 1962 | 3 323 | 167 | 56 | 111 | 50.1 | 16.8 | 33.3 | 7.21 | 113.6 | 49.79 |
| 1963 | 3 431 | 172 | 57 | 115 | 50.0 | 16.6 | 33.5 | 7.25 | 112.1 | 50.13 |
| 1964 | 3 543 | 177 | 59 | 118 | 50.0 | 16.7 | 33.3 | 7.27 | 111.7 | 49.85 |
| 1965 | 3 658 | 183 | 59 | 123 | 49.9 | 16.2 | 33.6 | 7.29 | 110.2 | 50.56 |
| 1966 | 3 778 | 188 | 61 | 127 | 49.7 | 16.1 | 33.6 | 7.30 | 109.7 | 50.68 |
| 1967 | 3 901 | 194 | 63 | 131 | 49.7 | 16.0 | 33.6 | 7.32 | 109.4 | 50.80 |
| 1968 | 4 029 | 200 | 64 | 136 | 49.7 | 16.0 | 33.7 | 7.33 | 108.8 | 50.86 |
| 1969 | 4 159 | 207 | 66 | 141 | 49.7 | 15.8 | 33.9 | 7.35 | 107.7 | 51.15 |
| 1970 | 4 282 | 214 | 67 | 147 | 49.8 | 15.5 | 34.2 | 7.37 | 106.0 | 51.49 |
| 1971 | 4 400 | 219 | 67 | 152 | 49.7 | 15.2 | 34.5 | 7.38 | 103.6 | 52.02 |
| 1972 | 4 524 | 225 | 67 | 158 | 49.6 | 14.8 | 34.9 | 7.39 | 100.8 | 52.63 |
| 1973 | 4 653 | 231 | 67 | 164 | 49.5 | 14.3 | 35.2 | 7.39 | 97.9 | 53.30 |
| 1974 | 4 789 | 237 | 67 | 170 | 49.3 | 13.9 | 35.3 | 7.38 | 95.5 | 53.87 |
| 1975 | 4 931 | 244 | 68 | 177 | 49.3 | 13.7 | 35.7 | 7.39 | 93.7 | 54.24 |
| 1976 | 5 080 | 250 | 69 | 182 | 49.1 | 13.4 | 35.7 | 7.37 | 92.8 | 54.60 |
| 1977 | 5 233 | 257 | 70 | 187 | 48.9 | 13.4 | 35.5 | 7.33 | 92.7 | 54.71 |
| 1978 | 5 391 | 263 | 72 | 190 | 48.6 | 13.4 | 35.2 | 7.29 | 93.0 | 54.61 |
| 1979 | 5 553 | 269 | 75 | 194 | 48.2 | 13.4 | 34.8 | 7.23 | 93.3 | 54.44 |
| 1980 | 5 720 | 273 | 78 | 196 | 47.6 | 13.5 | 34.1 | 7.15 | 93.8 | 54.14 |
| 1981 | 5 897 | 282 | 80 | 202 | 47.7 | 13.5 | 34.1 | 7.10 | 94.1 | 54.05 |
| 1982 | 6 091 | 291 | 83 | 208 | 47.8 | 13.6 | 34.2 | 7.06 | 94.6 | 53.86 |
| 1983 | 6 291 | 301 | 87 | 214 | 47.8 | 13.8 | 33.9 | 7.02 | 95.5 | 53.39 |
| 1984 | 6 488 | 310 | 92 | 218 | 47.7 | 14.2 | 33.6 | 6.98 | 97.0 | 52.76 |
| 1985 | 6 686 | 321 | 98 | 223 | 47.8 | 14.6 | 33.2 | 6.92 | 99.0 | 51.90 |
| 1986 | 6 891 | 330 | 104 | 226 | 47.8 | 15.1 | 32.8 | 6.85 | 101.0 | 51.06 |
| 1987 | 7 095 | 338 | 110 | 229 | 47.6 | 15.4 | 32.2 | 6.77 | 102.9 | 50.33 |
| 1988 | 7 294 | 347 | 116 | 231 | 47.4 | 15.8 | 31.6 | 6.68 | 104.4 | 49.53 |
| 1989 | 7 491 | 356 | 122 | 234 | 47.4 | 16.2 | 31.2 | 6.61 | 105.4 | 48.70 |
| 1990 | 7 686 | 363 | 128 | 235 | 47.1 | 16.6 | 30.5 | 6.53 | 106.1 | 47.93 |
| 1991 | 7 880 | 372 | 134 | 238 | 47.1 | 17.0 | 30.1 | 6.45 | 106.6 | 47.10 |
| 1992 | 8 074 | 381 | 140 | 241 | 47.0 | 17.2 | 29.8 | 6.36 | 106.4 | 46.51 |
| 1993 | 8 271 | 391 | 144 | 247 | 47.1 | 17.3 | 29.8 | 6.32 | 105.5 | 46.21 |
| 1994 | 8 474 | 401 | 148 | 253 | 47.1 | 17.4 | 29.8 | 6.27 | 104.0 | 45.85 |
| 1995 | 8 684 | 410 | 152 | 258 | 47.0 | 17.4 | 29.6 | 6.24 | 102.4 | 45.55 |
| 1996 | 8 902 | 418 | 156 | 262 | 46.8 | 17.5 | 29.3 | 6.18 | 100.9 | 45.23 |
| 1997 | 9 133 | 425 | 160 | 265 | 46.5 | 17.5 | 29.0 | 6.12 | 99.5 | 44.95 |
| 1998 | 9 372 | 435 | 164 | 271 | 46.3 | 17.5 | 28.8 | 6.05 | 98.1 | 44.70 |
| 1999 | 9 621 | 445 | 168 | 277 | 46.2 | 17.4 | 28.8 | 5.99 | 96.4 | 44.66 |
| 2000 | 9 891 | 454 | 167 | 287 | 45.9 | 16.9 | 29.0 | 5.93 | 93.5 | 45.23 |
| 2001 | 10 192 | 460 | 164 | 296 | 45.2 | 16.1 | 29.1 | 5.86 | 89.0 | 46.02 |
| 2002 | 10 508 | 470 | 161 | 310 | 44.7 | 15.3 | 29.5 | 5.79 | 83.5 | 46.98 |
| 2003 | 10 838 | 481 | 155 | 326 | 44.4 | 14.3 | 30.1 | 5.73 | 78.1 | 48.28 |
| 2004 | 11 188 | 496 | 150 | 346 | 44.3 | 13.5 | 30.9 | 5.72 | 72.7 | 49.49 |
| 2005 | 11 565 | 511 | 146 | 365 | 44.2 | 12.7 | 31.6 | 5.71 | 67.8 | 50.66 |
| 2006 | 11 972 | 526 | 143 | 384 | 44.0 | 11.9 | 32.1 | 5.69 | 63.7 | 51.80 |
| 2007 | 12 402 | 538 | 141 | 398 | 43.5 | 11.4 | 32.1 | 5.61 | 60.8 | 52.74 |
| 2008 | 12 853 | 552 | 137 | 415 | 43.0 | 10.7 | 32.3 | 5.54 | 58.3 | 53.95 |
| 2009 | 13 318 | 564 | 132 | 431 | 42.4 | 10.0 | 32.4 | 5.45 | 55.5 | 55.30 |
| 2010 | 13 792 | 576 | 127 | 449 | 41.8 | 9.2 | 32.6 | 5.36 | 52.9 | 56.80 |
| 2011 | 14 266 | 587 | 125 | 462 | 41.2 | 8.8 | 32.4 | 5.27 | 51.6 | 57.77 |
| 2012 | 14 745 | 595 | 122 | 473 | 40.4 | 8.3 | 32.1 | 5.15 | 50.4 | 58.87 |
| 2013 | 15 235 | 602 | 119 | 483 | 39.5 | 7.8 | 31.7 | 5.03 | 48.3 | 59.88 |
| 2014 | 15 738 | 607 | 117 | 490 | 38.6 | 7.4 | 31.2 | 4.90 | 46.7 | 60.70 |
| 2015 | 16 248 | 614 | 117 | 498 | 37.8 | 7.2 | 30.6 | 4.79 | 46.3 | 61.21 |
| 2016 | 16 768 | 624 | 116 | 508 | 37.2 | 6.9 | 30.3 | 4.71 | 44.9 | 61.79 |
| 2017 | 17 298 | 633 | 118 | 515 | 36.6 | 6.8 | 29.8 | 4.61 | 44.5 | 62.12 |
| 2018 | 17 836 | 643 | 120 | 522 | 36.0 | 6.7 | 29.3 | 4.54 | 45.0 | 62.34 |
| 2019 | 18 380 | 652 | 121 | 531 | 35.5 | 6.6 | 28.9 | 4.45 | 44.2 | 62.79 |
| 2020 | 19 059 | 656 | 119 | 536 | 34.4 | 6.3 | 28.1 | 4.32 | 41.4 | 63.4 |
| 2021 | 19 604 | 665 | 130 | 536 | 33.9 | 6.6 | 27.3 | 4.25 | 40.3 | 62.4 |
| 2022 | 20 153 | 676 | 113 | 536 | 33.5 | 5.6 | 28.0 | 4.18 | 39.3 | 65.3 |
| 2023 | 20 724 | 686 | 108 | 578 | 33.1 | 5.2 | 27.9 | 4.10 | 38.2 | 66.3 |

### Demographic and Health Surveys

Total Fertility Rate (TFR) (Wanted TFR) and Crude Birth Rate (CBR) :
| Year | Total | Total | Total | Urban | Urban | Urban | Rural | Rural | Rural |
| Year | CBR | TFR | WFR | CBR | TFR | WFR | CBR | TFR | WFR |
| 1992 | 45 | 6.5 | 5.4 | 44 | 5.8 | 4.7 | 46 | 7.1 | 6.2 |
| 1996 | 45.2 | 6.08 | 5.2 | 43.7 | 5.08 | 4.1 | 46.1 | 6.86 | 6.1 |
| 2001–2002 | 43.3 | 5.9 | 4.9 | 36.7 | 4.3 | 3.4 | 47.0 | 6.9 | 5.8 |
| 2007 | 43.6 | 6.2 | 5.2 | 36.3 | 4.3 | 3.6 | 47.5 | 7.5 | 6.3 |
| 2013–2014 | 37.2 | 5.3 | 4.5 | 32.2 | 3.7 | 3.3 | 40.3 | 6.6 | 5.6 |
| 2018 | 35.3 | 4.7 | 4.0 | 30.9 | 3.4 | 2.9 | 38.4 | 5.8 | 5.0 |
| 2024 | 32.1 | 4.0 | | 28.4 | 3.2 | | 35.3 | 4.9 | |
Fertility data as of 2013–2014 (DHS Program):
| Province | Total fertility rate | Percentage of women age 15-49 currently pregnant | Mean number of children ever born to women age 40-49 |
| Central | 5.9 | 8.1 | 6.8 |
| Copperbelt | 4.0 | 7.6 | 5.5 |
| Eastern | 5.8 | 8.7 | 6.9 |
| Luapula | 6.4 | 11.4 | 6.6 |
| Lusaka | 3.7 | 7.7 | 5.1 |
| Muchinga | 6.3 | 10.3 | 7.2 |
| Northern | 6.6 | 10.4 | 7.6 |
| North Western | 6.2 | 9.2 | 6.7 |
| Southern | 6.2 | 9.2 | 6.9 |
| Western | 5.6 | 8.1 | 6.0 |

### Fertility rate by religion

At national level, the TFR was highest among women with no religious affiliation at 6.5. Among the women with religious affiliation Protestants had the highest TFR of 6.0, followed by Muslims with 5.9 and Catholics with 5.7.
| Religious Affiliation | Total fertility rate |
| Protestantism | 6.0 |
| Catholicism | 5.7 |
| Islam | 3.2 |
| Hinduism | 2.0 |
| Other religions | 5.8 |
| Not religious | 6.5 |
| Zambia (total) | 5.9 |

### Life expectancy

| Period | Life expectancy in Years |
| 1950–1955 | 42.07 |
| 1955–1960 | 44.13 |
| 1960–1965 | 46.08 |
| 1965–1970 | 47.83 |
| 1970–1975 | 50.16 |
| 1975–1980 | 51.47 |
| 1980–1985 | 50.31 |
| 1985–1990 | 46.74 |
| 1990–1995 | 43.79 |
| 1995–2000 | 43.53 |
| 2000–2005 | 46.86 |
| 2005–2010 | 52.93 |
| 2010–2015 | 59.73 |

## Ethnic groups

Zambia is one of the most highly urbanised countries in sub-Saharan Africa with 44% of the population concentrated in a few urban areas along the major transport corridors, while rural areas are sparsely populated. Zambia's population comprises more than 72 Bantu-speaking ethnic groups. Some ethnic groups are small, and only two have enough people to constitute at least 10% of the population. The majority of Zambians are subsistence farmers, but the country is also fairly urbanised, with 42% of the population being city residents. The predominant religion is a blend of traditional beliefs and Christianity.
Immigrants, mostly British or South African, as well as some white Zambian citizens (about 40,000), live mainly in Lusaka and in the Copperbelt in northern Zambia, where they are either employed in mines, financial and related activities or retired. Zambia also has a small but economically important Asian population, most of whom are Indians or Chinese.

### 2010 census

| Groups | Percentage |
| African | 99.2% |
| Bemba | 21% |
| Tonga | 13.6% |
| Chewa | 7.4% |
| Lozi | 5.7% |
| Nsenga | 5.3% |
| Tumbuka | 4.4% |
| Ngoni | 4% |
| Lala | 3.1% |
| Kaonde | 2.9% |
| Namwanga | 2.8% |
| Lunda (North-western) | 2.6% |
| Mambwe | 2.5% |
| Luvale | 2.2% |
| Lamba | 2.1% |
| Ushi | 1.9% |
| Lenje | 1.6% |
| Bisa | 1.6% |
| Mbunda | 1.2% |
| Other | 13.8% |
| Unspecified | 0.4% |
Source:

## Languages

    Bemba 33.4%, Nyanja 14.7%, Tonga 11.4%, Lozi 5.5%, Chewa 4.5%, Nsenga 2.9%, Tumbuka 2.5%, Lunda (North Western) 1.9%, Kaonde 1.8%, Lala 1.8%, Lamba 1.8%, English (official) 1.7%, Luvale 1.5%, Mambwe 1.3%, Namwanga 1.2%, Lenje 1.1%, Bisa 1%, other 9.7%, unspecified 0.2% (2010 est.)
    note: Zambia is said to have over 70 languages, although many of these may be considered dialects; all of Zambia's major languages are members of the Bantu family

## Religion

    Protestant 75.3%
    Roman Catholic 20.2%
    other 2.7% (includes Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, and Baha'i)
    none 1.8%
(2010 est.)