Life Expectancy at Birth in Zambia
Zambia: Life Expectancy at Birth was 66.53 in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
66.53
Change on year
up 0.3%
World rank
180th
of 216 countries
All-time high
66.53
in 2024
All-time low
45.71
in 1998
Years of data
65
1960–2024
Life Expectancy at Birth in Zambia, 1960–2024
Source: International Monetary Fund.
Analysis
In 2024, life expectancy at birth in Zambia stood at 66.53. That is the highest value across all 65 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 10.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth in Zambia peaked at 66.53 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 45.71, in 1998.
Zambia ranks 180th of 216 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 65 years of available data.
Life Expectancy at Birth in Zambia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 50.65 | — |
| 1961 | 51.04 | +0.8% |
| 1962 | 51.33 | +0.6% |
| 1963 | 51.6 | +0.5% |
| 1964 | 51.17 | -0.8% |
| 1965 | 52.08 | +1.8% |
| 1966 | 52.29 | +0.4% |
| 1967 | 52.51 | +0.4% |
| 1968 | 52.72 | +0.4% |
| 1969 | 53.04 | +0.6% |
| 1970 | 53.4 | +0.7% |
| 1971 | 53.89 | +0.9% |
| 1972 | 54.38 | +0.9% |
| 1973 | 54.91 | +1.0% |
| 1974 | 55.38 | +0.8% |
| 1975 | 55.74 | +0.7% |
| 1976 | 56.1 | +0.6% |
| 1977 | 56.28 | +0.3% |
| 1978 | 56.34 | +0.1% |
| 1979 | 56.05 | -0.5% |
| 1980 | 55.5 | -1.0% |
| 1981 | 54.99 | -0.9% |
| 1982 | 54.36 | -1.1% |
| 1983 | 53.67 | -1.3% |
| 1984 | 52.88 | -1.5% |
| 1985 | 52 | -1.7% |
| 1986 | 51.15 | -1.6% |
| 1987 | 50.42 | -1.4% |
| 1988 | 49.67 | -1.5% |
| 1989 | 48.88 | -1.6% |
| 1990 | 48.2 | -1.4% |
| 1991 | 47.44 | -1.6% |
| 1992 | 46.97 | -1.0% |
| 1993 | 46.68 | -0.6% |
| 1994 | 46.34 | -0.7% |
| 1995 | 46.05 | -0.6% |
| 1996 | 45.76 | -0.6% |
| 1997 | 45.74 | -0.0% |
| 1998 | 45.71 | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 45.92 | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 46.58 | +1.4% |
| 2001 | 47.41 | +1.8% |
| 2002 | 48.46 | +2.2% |
| 2003 | 49.62 | +2.4% |
| 2004 | 50.54 | +1.9% |
| 2005 | 51.62 | +2.1% |
| 2006 | 52.69 | +2.1% |
| 2007 | 53.73 | +2.0% |
| 2008 | 54.84 | +2.1% |
| 2009 | 55.89 | +1.9% |
| 2010 | 56.9 | +1.8% |
| 2011 | 57.84 | +1.7% |
| 2012 | 58.7 | +1.5% |
| 2013 | 59.45 | +1.3% |
| 2014 | 60.11 | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 60.73 | +1.0% |
| 2016 | 61.13 | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 61.56 | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 62.14 | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 62.91 | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 63.36 | +0.7% |
| 2021 | 62.36 | -1.6% |
| 2022 | 65.28 | +4.7% |
| 2023 | 66.35 | +1.6% |
| 2024 | 66.53 | +0.3% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 66.53 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 67.85, 98% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 66.53 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 64.26, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 51.84 | 50.65 | 53.04 | 10 |
| 1970s | 55.25 | 53.4 | 56.34 | 10 |
| 1980s | 52.35 | 48.88 | 55.5 | 10 |
| 1990s | 46.48 | 45.71 | 48.2 | 10 |
| 2000s | 51.14 | 46.58 | 55.89 | 10 |
| 2010s | 60.15 | 56.9 | 62.91 | 10 |
| 2020s | 64.78 | 62.36 | 66.53 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 177 Marshall Islands 67.08 compare
- 178 Comoros 67.02 compare
- 179 Kiribati 66.6 compare
- 181 Sudan 66.52 compare
- 182 South Africa 66.31 compare
- 183 Afghanistan 66.29 compare
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 life expectancy at birth in Zambia?
- Life expectancy at birth in Zambia was 66.53 in 2024, according to International Monetary Fund.
- What is the highest life expectancy at birth recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 66.53 in 2024.
- What is the lowest life expectancy at birth recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 45.71 in 1998.
- How does Zambia rank for life expectancy at birth?
- Zambia ranks 180th out of 216 countries with data for 2024.
- Is life expectancy at birth rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from International Monetary Fund, published as part of Life Expectancy at Birth. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Gender-disaggregated data on health outcomes.