Inactivity rate in Zambia

Zambia: Inactivity rate was 36.76 in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
36.76
Change on year
down 3.4%
World rank
38th
of 57 countries
All-time high
49.26
in 2015
All-time low
36.76
in 2024
Years of data
8
2015–2024

Inactivity rate in Zambia, 2015–2024

010203040502015201920242015: 49.32018: 41.52019: 40.52020: 39.12021: 39.92022: 40.52023: 382024: 36.8

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

Zambia recorded 36.76 for inactivity rate in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 8 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.4% on the previous year and down 25.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, inactivity rate in Zambia peaked at 49.26 in 2015 and was at its lowest, 36.76, in 2024.

That places Zambia 38th out of 57 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

Inactivity rate in Zambia, year by year

Annual values for Inactivity rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) in Zambia, 2015 to 2024.
Year Value Change
2015 49.26
2018 41.52 -15.7%
2019 40.46 -2.6%
2020 39.13 -3.3%
2021 39.9 +2.0%
2022 40.47 +1.4%
2023 38.04 -6.0%
2024 36.76 -3.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 43.75 40.46 49.26 3
2020s 38.86 36.76 40.47 5

Countries ranked near Zambia

  1. 35 Ireland 37.04 compare
  2. 36 Lithuania 36.93 compare
  3. 37 Switzerland 36.81 compare
  4. 39 Zimbabwe 36.56 compare
  5. 40 Cyprus 36.5 compare
  6. 41 Colombia 36.03 compare

See the full ranking of 57 places →

More gender data for Zambia

All data for Zambia →

Frequently asked questions

What is inactivity rate in Zambia?
Inactivity rate in Zambia was 36.76 in 2024, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest inactivity rate recorded in Zambia?
The highest recorded value was 49.26 in 2015.
What is the lowest inactivity rate recorded in Zambia?
The lowest recorded value was 36.76 in 2024.
How does Zambia rank for inactivity rate?
Zambia ranks 38th out of 57 countries with data for 2024.
Is inactivity rate rising or falling in Zambia?
Over the last ten years it is down 25.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Zambia data come from?
The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Inactivity rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Inactivity rate in Zambia. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 25 August 2026, from https://gender.statizoid.com/stat/inactivity-rate-previous-ilo-definition-icls13/zambia/

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About this data

Indicator
Inactivity rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13)
Source
International Labour Organization
Licence
ILO Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
57 places, 865 data points, 1996–2025
Last refreshed

With the aim of promoting international comparability, statistics presented on ILOSTAT are based on standard international definitions wherever feasible and may differ from official national figures. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. For time series comparability, it includes countries that have implemented the 19th ICLS standards, for which data are also available in the Work Statistics -- 19th ICLS (WORK) database. This indicator conveys the number of persons of working age outside the labour force (that is, not employed or unemployed) expressed as a percentage of the working-age population. The term disability, as defined in the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), is used as an umbrella term, covering impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictions. For measurement purposes, a person with disability is defined as a person who is limited in the kind or amount of activities that he or she can do because of ongoing difficulties due to a long-term physical condition, mental condition or health problem. For more information, refer to the Disability Labour Market Indicators (DLMI) database description.