Probability that a man will outlive a woman in Zambia
Zambia: Probability that a man will outlive a woman was 42.0% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
42.0%
Change on year
up 0.7%
World rank
54th
of 236 countries
All-time high
48.9%
in 2005
All-time low
41.1%
in 2020
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Probability that a man will outlive a woman in Zambia, 1950–2023
Source: Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024); Bergeron-Boucher et al. (2022) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, probability that a man will outlive a woman in Zambia stood at 42.0%.
The figure is up 0.7% on the previous year and down 6.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, probability that a man will outlive a woman in Zambia peaked at 48.9% in 2005 and was at its lowest, 41.1%, in 2020.
Zambia ranks 54th of 236 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Probability that a man will outlive a woman in Zambia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 47.5% | — |
| 1951 | 47.6% | +0.1% |
| 1952 | 47.6% | -0.0% |
| 1953 | 47.6% | -0.0% |
| 1954 | 47.6% | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 47.5% | -0.1% |
| 1956 | 47.5% | -0.1% |
| 1957 | 47.5% | -0.1% |
| 1958 | 47.4% | -0.2% |
| 1959 | 47.2% | -0.3% |
| 1960 | 47.3% | +0.1% |
| 1961 | 47.3% | +0.1% |
| 1962 | 47.3% | -0.1% |
| 1963 | 47.3% | +0.1% |
| 1964 | 46.7% | -1.2% |
| 1965 | 47.1% | +0.8% |
| 1966 | 47.1% | -0.0% |
| 1967 | 47.0% | -0.2% |
| 1968 | 47.0% | -0.0% |
| 1969 | 46.9% | -0.2% |
| 1970 | 46.9% | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 46.9% | -0.1% |
| 1972 | 46.8% | -0.2% |
| 1973 | 46.9% | +0.2% |
| 1974 | 46.7% | -0.3% |
| 1975 | 46.6% | -0.3% |
| 1976 | 46.3% | -0.6% |
| 1977 | 46.0% | -0.6% |
| 1978 | 46.0% | -0.2% |
| 1979 | 45.5% | -1.0% |
| 1980 | 45.5% | -0.1% |
| 1981 | 45.4% | -0.2% |
| 1982 | 45.3% | -0.2% |
| 1983 | 45.6% | +0.6% |
| 1984 | 45.6% | -0.0% |
| 1985 | 45.7% | +0.3% |
| 1986 | 46.0% | +0.6% |
| 1987 | 46.3% | +0.7% |
| 1988 | 46.6% | +0.8% |
| 1989 | 46.9% | +0.5% |
| 1990 | 47.2% | +0.7% |
| 1991 | 47.3% | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 47.4% | +0.2% |
| 1993 | 47.4% | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 47.6% | +0.5% |
| 1995 | 47.6% | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 47.9% | +0.5% |
| 1997 | 47.9% | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 48.2% | +0.6% |
| 1999 | 48.4% | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 48.5% | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 48.5% | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 48.5% | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 48.1% | -0.8% |
| 2004 | 48.8% | +1.4% |
| 2005 | 48.9% | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 48.3% | -1.1% |
| 2007 | 48.0% | -0.6% |
| 2008 | 47.2% | -1.8% |
| 2009 | 47.0% | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 46.3% | -1.7% |
| 2011 | 45.5% | -1.8% |
| 2012 | 45.1% | -0.8% |
| 2013 | 44.8% | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 44.1% | -1.5% |
| 2015 | 43.5% | -1.4% |
| 2016 | 43.3% | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 42.8% | -1.2% |
| 2018 | 42.4% | -0.8% |
| 2019 | 41.9% | -1.2% |
| 2020 | 41.1% | -2.0% |
| 2021 | 41.4% | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 41.7% | +0.8% |
| 2023 | 42.0% | +0.7% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 42.0% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 41.9%, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 42.0% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 42.6%, 99% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 47.5% | 47.2% | 47.6% | 10 |
| 1960s | 47.1% | 46.7% | 47.3% | 10 |
| 1970s | 46.5% | 45.5% | 46.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 45.9% | 45.3% | 46.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 47.7% | 47.2% | 48.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 48.2% | 47.0% | 48.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 44.0% | 41.9% | 46.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 41.5% | 41.1% | 42.0% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 51 Mauritania 42.2% compare
- 52 Western Sahara 42.1% compare
- 53 Comoros 42.0% compare
- 54 Albania 42.0% compare
- 56 Iran 41.9% compare
- 57 New Zealand 41.9% 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 probability that a man will outlive a woman in Zambia?
- Probability that a man will outlive a woman in Zambia was 42.0% in 2023, according to Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024); Bergeron-Boucher et al. (2022) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest probability that a man will outlive a woman recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 48.9% in 2005.
- What is the lowest probability that a man will outlive a woman recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 41.1% in 2020.
- How does Zambia rank for probability that a man will outlive a woman?
- Zambia ranks 54th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is probability that a man will outlive a woman rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024); Bergeron-Boucher et al. (2022) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Probability that a man will outlive a woman. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Probability that a male will live longer than a female if both are randomly selected from the population at birth.