Human Development Index: males vs. females in Zambia
Zambia: Human Development Index: males vs. females was 0.6115 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Human Development Index: males vs. females in Zambia, 1990–2023
Source: UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for human development index: males vs. females in Zambia is 0.6115, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.
The figure is up 0.9% on the previous year and up 4.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, human development index: males vs. females in Zambia peaked at 0.6115 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.4505, in 1994.
Zambia ranks 151st of 183 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Human Development Index: males vs. females in Zambia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 0.4659 | — |
| 1991 | 0.4545 | -2.5% |
| 1992 | 0.4515 | -0.7% |
| 1993 | 0.4548 | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 0.4505 | -0.9% |
| 1995 | 0.451 | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 0.4544 | +0.8% |
| 1997 | 0.456 | +0.3% |
| 1998 | 0.4581 | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 0.4639 | +1.3% |
| 2000 | 0.4735 | +2.1% |
| 2001 | 0.4797 | +1.3% |
| 2002 | 0.4877 | +1.7% |
| 2003 | 0.5 | +2.5% |
| 2004 | 0.5108 | +2.2% |
| 2005 | 0.5225 | +2.3% |
| 2006 | 0.533 | +2.0% |
| 2007 | 0.5437 | +2.0% |
| 2008 | 0.5511 | +1.4% |
| 2009 | 0.5619 | +2.0% |
| 2010 | 0.5651 | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 0.5693 | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 0.5816 | +2.2% |
| 2013 | 0.5866 | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 0.5878 | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 0.5927 | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 0.5921 | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 0.5864 | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 0.5937 | +1.2% |
| 2019 | 0.6002 | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 0.5957 | -0.8% |
| 2021 | 0.5919 | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 0.6063 | +2.4% |
| 2023 | 0.6115 | +0.9% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 0.6115 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.6459, 95% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 0.6115 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.5953, 1.0× the median. (43 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.4561 | 0.4505 | 0.4659 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.5164 | 0.4735 | 0.5619 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.5855 | 0.5651 | 0.6002 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.6013 | 0.5919 | 0.6115 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
More gender data for Zambia
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 9,719 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth 1.61 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 15,306 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 15,306 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 3.24 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 340,219 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 341,639 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 331,557 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 332,331 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 324,712 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is human development index: males vs. females in Zambia?
- Human development index: males vs. females in Zambia was 0.6115 in 2023, according to UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest human development index: males vs. females recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 0.6115 in 2023.
- What is the lowest human development index: males vs. females recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.4505 in 1994.
- How does Zambia rank for human development index: males vs. females?
- Zambia ranks 151st out of 183 countries with data for 2023.
- Is human development index: males vs. females rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Human Development Index: males vs. females. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
The Human Development Index (HDI) is a summary measure of key dimensions of human development: a long and healthy life, a good education, and a decent standard of living. Higher values indicate higher human development. Only male population is considered.