Share of women of reproductive age who have anemia in Zambia
Zambia: Share of women of reproductive age who have anemia was 27.1% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of women of reproductive age who have anemia in Zambia, 2000–2023
Source: Global Health Observatory / World Health Statistics - World Health Organization (WHO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of women ages 15-49.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of women of reproductive age who have anemia in Zambia is 27.1%, measured in 2023.
The figure is up 1.5% on the previous year and up 3.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of women of reproductive age who have anemia in Zambia peaked at 36.2% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 26.1%, in 2017.
Zambia ranks 86th of 192 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Share of women of reproductive age who have anemia in Zambia, year by year
| Year | % of women ages 15-49 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 36.2% | — |
| 2001 | 35.0% | -3.3% |
| 2002 | 33.9% | -3.1% |
| 2003 | 32.9% | -2.9% |
| 2004 | 31.9% | -3.0% |
| 2005 | 31.0% | -2.8% |
| 2006 | 30.1% | -2.9% |
| 2007 | 29.3% | -2.7% |
| 2008 | 28.5% | -2.7% |
| 2009 | 27.8% | -2.5% |
| 2010 | 27.3% | -1.8% |
| 2011 | 26.8% | -1.8% |
| 2012 | 26.5% | -1.1% |
| 2013 | 26.3% | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 26.3% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 26.2% | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 26.2% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 26.1% | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 26.2% | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 26.2% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 26.2% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 26.4% | +0.8% |
| 2022 | 26.7% | +1.1% |
| 2023 | 27.1% | +1.5% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 27.1% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 33.5%, 81% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 27.1% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 39.4%, 69% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 31.7% | 27.8% | 36.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 26.4% | 26.1% | 27.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 26.6% | 26.2% | 27.1% | 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 share of women of reproductive age who have anemia in Zambia?
- Share of women of reproductive age who have anemia in Zambia was 27.1% in 2023, according to Global Health Observatory / World Health Statistics - World Health Organization (WHO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of women of reproductive age who have anemia recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 36.2% in 2000.
- What is the lowest share of women of reproductive age who have anemia recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 26.1% in 2017.
- How does Zambia rank for share of women of reproductive age who have anemia?
- Zambia ranks 86th out of 192 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of women of reproductive age who have anemia rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from Global Health Observatory / World Health Statistics - World Health Organization (WHO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of women of reproductive age who have anemia. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of women of reproductive age (aged 15-49) with anemia. Anemia is a condition that develops when your blood lacks enough healthy red blood cells or hemoglobin.