censuswall ZMB · 2026 · ages 0–100
Topics

Country or area · Eastern Africa · Africa · UN WPP 2024

Zambia population

Zambia population now

22,672,241

A projection read at this second, not a count: the UN's totals for 1 January 2026 and 2027, joined by a straight line. 95% range for 31 December 2026: 22.2–23.3 million.

Mid-2023, UN estimate: 20,723,965

Year
2026
projection · medium
Population, mid-2026
22.5219 million
95% range, 31 Dec: 22.2–23.3 million
Median age
19.2
Aged 65+
2.1%
2023 | 2024

male female projection · one cell = 10,000 people

How to read this: one row for each age, newborns at the bottom; men on the left, women on the right.

Verified 2026-09-30 · 73 canaries

ZMB · 1950–2100 · in brief

Zambia in numbers

Zambia had 20,723,965 people in mid-2023, the 63rd-largest population of the 236 countries and areas the UN reports, and 0.26% of the world's people. That is 8.9 times its 1950 population of 2.3 million.

In the UN's medium projection it is still growing in 2100, when it reaches 64.5 million. The projection is uncertain: on 1 January 2100 the UN's 95% range runs from 27.3 million to 172 million.

Births outnumber deaths in every year from 1950 to 2100, estimates and projection alike.

The median age was 17.4 in 1950 and 18.5 in 2023; the projection has 35.4 in 2100. 1.9% of people were 65 or older in 2023, against 14.2% projected for 2100. The working-age population (15–64) is still growing in 2100 in the medium projection.

Its place in the world by population: 63rd in 2023, 53rd in 2050, 43rd in 2100. In the medium projection it overtakes Taiwan in 2027, Sri Lanka in 2028 and North Korea in 2033. It is overtaken by Chad in 2043 and Somalia in 2058.

Population, mid-2023
20,723,965
Rank by population, 2023
63 of 236
Share of the world, 2023
0.26%
Change in a year, mid-2022 to mid-2023
+2.83% · +571,027 people
People per km² of land, 2023
28
Land area, 2023
743,390 km²
Births, 2023
685,565
Deaths, 2023
107,917
Net migration, 2023
+9,521
Children per woman, 2023
4.10
Median age, 2023
18.5 years
Life expectancy at birth, 2023
66.3 years
In a city, 2025
39 of every 100
Population, mid-1950
2,321,302
Projected, mid-2050
38,083,386
Projected, mid-2100
64,473,916

ZMB · 1950–2100 · total population

Population, 1950–2100

estimates | projections050 m100 m150 m200 m1950197520002025205020752100

estimate   projection, up to the bottom of the 95% range   95% range   medium projection. Every column stands for a single year, counted on 1 January, and the paper rules slice it into cells of equal size.

Show the numbers: Zambia, 1950–2100
Zambia: population on 1 January, births, deaths, fertility and life expectancy, 1950–2100
YearKindPopulation, 1 Jan95% rangeBirthsDeathsChildren per womanLife expectancy
1950estimate2,285,718116,32143,7416.7846.8
1951estimate2,356,887119,18044,7946.7747.2
1952estimate2,429,716122,48045,6756.7747.6
1953estimate2,504,787125,90946,4686.7948.0
1954estimate2,582,290129,38247,2666.7948.4
1955estimate2,662,264132,92448,0246.8048.8
1956estimate2,744,822136,49548,7836.8149.1
1957estimate2,829,999140,52749,6206.8349.5
1958estimate2,918,136144,85050,3426.8649.9
1959estimate3,009,598149,49051,1326.9050.3
1960estimate3,104,510154,36552,0296.9550.6
1961estimate3,202,948159,19752,8806.9851.0
1962estimate3,305,225164,11053,9387.0151.3
1963estimate3,410,973169,63155,0777.0651.6
1964estimate3,520,842174,74157,5437.0851.2
1965estimate3,633,191180,31057,4977.1252.1
1966estimate3,750,982185,98258,8217.1452.3
1967estimate3,873,023192,09160,1537.1552.5
1968estimate3,999,662198,86461,5507.1852.7
1969estimate4,131,523205,36562,7037.1853.0
1970estimate4,262,709213,16663,7847.2253.4
1971estimate4,380,728219,61864,3697.2653.9
1972estimate4,504,323226,58264,9337.3054.4
1973estimate4,634,294233,63665,3757.3454.9
1974estimate4,771,091240,47765,9947.3655.4
1975estimate4,914,401249,27467,0177.4255.7
1976estimate5,065,771254,77868,0177.3956.1
1977estimate5,221,914261,01569,4597.3556.3
1978estimate5,383,045266,14171,2117.2956.3
1979estimate5,547,703271,30873,7317.2256.0
1980estimate5,715,753275,75876,9417.1455.5
1981estimate5,889,913283,19280,3667.0755.0
1982estimate6,076,665292,16984,5487.0454.4
1983estimate6,280,609301,97389,2627.0153.7
1984estimate6,481,468311,31194,6156.9752.9
1985estimate6,679,513321,721100,3716.9352.0
1986estimate6,882,393331,129106,3636.8751.1
1987estimate7,090,550339,951112,1386.8050.4
1988estimate7,292,014348,105117,9886.7049.7
1989estimate7,490,866357,559124,1296.6348.9
1990estimate7,687,566365,709129,8706.5748.2
1991estimate7,884,772374,003136,0496.4647.4
1992estimate8,078,528380,634140,6796.3547.0
1993estimate8,274,832390,491144,5726.3046.7
1994estimate8,473,010400,771148,7506.2646.3
1995estimate8,679,528410,778152,8826.2346.0
1996estimate8,891,999419,394156,9266.1845.8
1997estimate9,116,107427,751159,5566.1245.7
1998estimate9,358,018437,933162,3656.0745.7
1999estimate9,606,799447,078163,7766.0045.9
2000estimate9,873,211455,450162,2695.9246.6
2001estimate10,162,052462,304159,6135.8547.4
2002estimate10,488,319472,047156,0045.7748.5
2003estimate10,807,579482,672151,4825.7149.6
2004estimate11,159,611497,982148,6325.7050.5
2005estimate11,516,785513,724144,9695.7051.6
2006estimate11,920,853529,835141,9445.6852.7
2007estimate12,338,253542,530138,8115.6153.7
2008estimate12,791,918555,123135,5665.5354.8
2009estimate13,250,730567,055132,6005.4555.9
2010estimate13,730,049578,071129,7475.3656.9
2011estimate14,201,139587,057127,3075.2657.8
2012estimate14,674,452594,512125,1145.1458.7
2013estimate15,152,806600,296123,4565.0159.5
2014estimate15,645,188605,841122,1644.8960.1
2015estimate16,145,442612,410121,3814.7860.7
2016estimate16,652,735619,352121,8314.6761.1
2017estimate17,176,111626,801122,1754.5761.6
2018estimate17,706,528637,415121,7674.4962.1
2019estimate18,240,610648,090120,0124.4262.9
2020estimate18,787,069655,797119,3104.3263.4
2021estimate19,331,721665,154129,5184.2562.4
2022estimate19,875,494675,973112,5184.1765.3
2023estimate20,430,382685,565107,9174.1066.3
2024estimate21,017,548697,518110,0844.0466.5
2025projection21,612,36321.4–21.8 million708,934112,4723.9766.7
2026projection22,215,38521.8–22.5 million721,060114,9413.9166.9
2027projection22,828,44622.2–23.3 million732,320117,5343.8567.0
2028projection23,448,99522.6–24.2 million740,015120,2103.7767.2
2029projection24,073,75123.0–25.0 million751,998123,0933.7267.4
2030projection24,705,62123.4–25.9 million761,909126,1383.6767.5
2031projection25,344,18123.7–26.7 million771,640129,3193.6167.7
2032projection25,988,82724.1–27.6 million779,405132,5553.5667.9
2033projection26,635,07624.4–28.5 million786,522135,8453.5068.0
2034projection27,285,09924.7–29.5 million794,523139,3793.4568.2
2035projection27,938,16125.1–30.5 million802,366143,1053.4068.3
2036projection28,595,62325.4–31.5 million809,079146,8833.3568.5
2037projection29,254,59525.7–32.6 million813,936150,7613.3068.6
2038projection29,912,38826.0–33.6 million818,853154,6803.2568.8
2039projection30,568,74426.3–34.6 million822,535158,8023.1968.9
2040projection31,222,45026.5–35.6 million828,194163,1283.1569.1
2041projection31,878,35426.7–36.8 million833,617167,6373.1169.2
2042projection32,530,33827.0–37.9 million839,637172,3473.0769.3
2043projection33,182,86827.2–39.0 million845,081177,0753.0369.5
2044projection33,838,15627.5–40.2 million850,164182,1783.0069.6
2045projection34,493,71127.7–41.5 million855,298187,2052.9669.8
2046projection35,148,50127.9–42.8 million860,857192,5122.9369.9
2047projection35,803,11928.1–44.1 million866,266197,8052.9070.1
2048projection36,455,44828.4–45.4 million871,993203,3202.8770.2
2049projection37,109,08428.6–46.8 million877,115209,0502.8470.3
2050projection37,760,28228.8–48.3 million880,903214,7042.8170.5
2051projection38,406,48928.9–49.8 million885,960220,5522.7970.6
2052projection39,051,29529.1–51.4 million890,978226,5732.7670.8
2053projection39,693,94229.2–52.8 million897,507232,6512.7470.9
2054projection40,335,72329.4–54.4 million901,278238,8592.7271.0
2055projection40,978,42129.6–55.9 million905,988245,1522.6971.2
2056projection41,617,98529.7–57.5 million910,109251,4282.6771.3
2057projection42,254,01029.8–58.9 million913,763257,6332.6571.5
2058projection42,887,57329.9–60.6 million917,138263,9572.6371.6
2059projection43,521,45829.9–62.3 million920,866270,3322.6171.8
2060projection44,152,56830.1–64.1 million924,047276,9812.5971.9
2061projection44,782,95830.1–65.8 million927,243283,4282.5772.0
2062projection45,406,29930.1–67.7 million930,299289,7752.5572.2
2063projection46,026,14830.2–69.6 million932,825296,4342.5372.3
2064projection46,639,76630.2–71.7 million935,121303,0332.5172.4
2065projection47,249,98330.3–73.9 million936,594309,6722.4972.6
2066projection47,853,29730.4–75.4 million938,467316,4702.4772.7
2067projection48,449,90030.5–77.4 million941,006323,5272.4672.8
2068projection49,043,49130.3–79.5 million942,713329,9262.4473.0
2069projection49,632,37930.4–81.9 million943,485336,3992.4373.1
2070projection50,220,96530.4–84.3 million944,412343,1872.4173.3
2071projection50,800,83630.5–86.8 million946,105349,9452.4073.4
2072projection51,374,17130.4–88.9 million947,211357,1292.3873.5
2073projection51,942,34030.6–91.4 million947,608363,7662.3773.7
2074projection52,503,82430.5–94.2 million948,069370,8292.3573.8
2075projection53,056,08830.6–96.6 million948,564378,1372.3473.9
2076projection53,602,57430.5–98.8 million949,622385,6652.3374.1
2077projection54,140,65630.5–101.1 million951,385393,0432.3274.2
2078projection54,676,08630.4–103.4 million951,384400,4372.3074.3
2079projection55,202,10730.4–106.2 million951,646408,1832.2974.5
2080projection55,717,98630.2–108.5 million951,541415,7192.2874.6
2081projection56,231,78630.0–111.1 million951,970423,5122.2774.7
2082projection56,735,83430.0–113.9 million953,988431,1522.2674.9
2083projection57,230,67230.0–116.7 million954,427439,0262.2575.0
2084projection57,719,10630.0–118.9 million954,743446,6092.2475.2
2085projection58,199,49129.7–122.1 million952,593454,1912.2375.3
2086projection58,669,04129.6–124.1 million951,592461,6062.2175.4
2087projection59,133,34329.4–127.5 million950,211468,8092.2075.6
2088projection59,591,43029.3–130.9 million948,352476,2172.1975.7
2089projection60,030,68729.1–134.1 million947,669483,7232.1875.8
2090projection60,465,78128.8–137.7 million945,740491,0632.1776.0
2091projection60,888,98428.6–140.6 million946,135498,5482.1676.1
2092projection61,308,38928.4–144.5 million945,960505,8722.1676.3
2093projection61,717,00328.2–147.3 million943,529513,2842.1576.4
2094projection62,113,71528.0–151.0 million942,145520,3772.1476.5
2095projection62,508,64328.0–154.1 million940,010527,6822.1376.7
2096projection62,887,42727.9–157.6 million937,238534,7462.1276.8
2097projection63,253,66827.8–161.3 million933,796541,5182.1176.9
2098projection63,615,70027.6–164.8 million930,167548,6612.1077.1
2099projection63,966,39227.5–168.8 million927,422555,5492.0977.2
2100projection64,307,44927.3–172.2 million925,620562,5952.0877.3
Show the numbers: Zambia, mid-2026, by single year of age
Zambia: population by single year of age, mid-2026
AgeMaleFemale
0347,529346,133
1338,276337,471
2330,648330,266
3323,992323,912
4317,894317,984
5312,006312,153
6306,929307,083
7301,642301,836
8295,784296,018
9290,760291,026
10286,582286,910
11282,613282,984
12278,936279,384
13275,314275,934
14271,190271,953
15266,300267,173
16260,534261,541
17253,890255,148
18246,616248,278
19238,940241,055
20230,394232,828
21221,090223,733
22211,835214,800
23203,823207,122
24197,290200,772
25191,710195,206
26186,433189,883
27180,764184,171
28174,934178,233
29169,444172,627
30164,428167,480
31159,267162,192
32154,007156,728
33149,015151,402
34144,874146,932
35141,175142,937
36137,356138,796
37133,448134,548
38129,601130,382
39125,873126,377
40121,854122,130
41117,424117,514
42112,845112,810
43108,185108,118
44103,363103,328
4598,67198,758
4694,47194,828
4790,44491,184
4886,16287,354
4981,61983,315
5076,97079,204
5171,95474,720
5266,82170,086
5362,06265,816
5457,44461,660
5553,11657,750
5648,96053,933
5745,08850,338
5841,58747,075
5938,35444,018
6035,43341,227
6132,71238,600
6230,17636,130
6327,75233,746
6425,43031,443
6523,24629,267
6621,12427,133
6719,07125,048
6817,12023,042
6915,30221,126
7013,62819,304
7112,07617,565
7210,63015,894
739,29014,287
748,06612,764
756,97211,352
765,7629,707
774,6768,021
784,0546,922
793,5306,103
802,9425,232
812,4104,418
821,9503,688
831,5603,040
841,2362,482
859702,005
867551,604
875831,270
88441990
89324756
90231564
91162414
92113302
9378215
9453150
9535103
962368
971445
98929
99618
100+726

ZMB · 1950–2100 · every age, every year

Zambia, every age in every year

Each column is a year and each row an age; the denser the ink in a cell, the more people. Everyone born in the same year climbs one 45° diagonal, so famines, baby booms and migration show up as streaks. Select a cell to follow its generation.

ZMB · ages 15–64

Who does the work in Zambia

In Zambia the number of people aged 15–64 is still growing in 2100, the last year the UN projects. In 2023 there were 11,635,700 of them.

100 aged 15–64
75 children
3 aged 65+

aged 15–64   children under 15   aged 65 and over

How to read this: take 100 people of working age — the orange row — and the two rows under it are the children (teal) and the people of 65 and over (violet) who lived alongside them in 2023.

At no point between 1950 and 2100 do fewer than 50 dependants live alongside every 100 people aged 15–64 here.

fewer than 50 dependants per 100   the same, projected   50 or more

How to read this: one stripe a year from 1950 to 2100. A stripe takes colour in a year when fewer than 50 dependants live alongside every 100 people of working age, and stays grey otherwise; hatching means the year is projected.

How every country compares

ZMB · arrivals minus departures

Who arrives in Zambia, and who leaves

In 2020–2025 Zambia gains 4,768 people a year: everyone who arrives, minus everyone who leaves. The age at which that happens most is 25–29, at 1,135 a year more arriving than leaving.

one square = 200 people a year
020406080+

more arrive than leave   more leave than arrive

How to read this: age runs left to right, babies to 100. A blue square above the line means arrivals outnumber departures at that age, an orange square below it means the opposite. The figures are the UN's projection for 2020–2025; nobody recorded migration by age before 2020.

Across the counted years, 1950 to 2023, its biggest single-year gain was 49,945 (2007); its biggest loss, 47,739 (1993).

In 2024, 249,205 people living in Zambia had been born in another country, 1 of every 100 people there, against 4 in 1990.

How migration works everywhere

ZMB · births by the mother's age · 1950–2100

Who has the babies in Zambia

Of every 100 babies born in Zambia in 2023, 20 had a mother under 20, 65 a mother aged 20 to 34 and 15 a mother aged 35 or older. In 1950 it was 20 under 20 and 17 aged 35 or older.

1950
20 · 63 · 17
2023
20 · 65 · 15
2050 · projected
20 · 65 · 15

The mother's age: under 20 20 to 34 35 or older projected

How to read this: one block a year, 100 squares in each, a square for every hundredth baby. The colour is the mother's age group, and the three numbers underneath are those groups in order, youngest first.

Babies born, 2023
685,565
Average age when women have a baby
28.4 years
29.0 in 1950
Babies a year per 1,000 girls aged 15–19
116
170 in 1950
Babies by the mother's age, 1950–2100
Babies born in Zambia by the mother's age
Mother's age19501975200020232050 projected2100 projected
10–143,4514,7884,6613,8182,560757
15–1920,57552,67790,851135,206170,42495,679
20–2430,12366,390129,621180,812214,323175,532
25–2924,28947,286101,205149,314195,980241,473
30–3418,47636,17169,988114,435165,213243,164
35–3912,25826,03838,87071,38798,778134,211
40–445,64713,09616,92226,84030,61432,339
45–491,4272,7093,2073,6712,9732,445
50–5475119125823820
All babies116,321249,274455,450685,565880,903925,620

The UN's births for each year, split by the mother's age in the UN's own proportions.

ZMB · healthy years · 2021

Years in good health in Zambia

Of the 61.0 years a baby born in Zambia in 2021 could expect, about 53.0 would be lived in full health (95% range 52.1–54.0). That leaves 8.0 years in less than full health, fewer than the world's 9.5, which mostly means lives are shorter here, with fewer years in which to be ill.

Women

53.9 in full health, 9.2 not: 63.1 years

Men

52.0 in full health, 6.7 not: 58.7 years

a year in full health   a year in less than full health

How to read this: each square is a year of life, each row ten years; filled squares are years in full health, rounded to whole years.

Women: 53.9 healthy years of 63.1. Men: 52.0 of 58.7. In 2019, before the pandemic, the healthy years were 53.9.

ZMB · forced from home · end of 2025

Displacement in Zambia

At the end of 2025, Zambia was hosting 96,131 people who had crossed a border into it, about 4 of every 1,000 people living there.

  1. hosted from abroad96,131
  2. Zambia nationals abroad892

stayed inside their own country   crossed a border

How to read this: one square stands for 2,000 people, so the rows can be compared with one another. The last row is people from Zambia living in another country, wherever they are. An outlined square means fewer people than one square stands for.

In 2025, 7,715 people asked for asylum in Zambia for the first time; 170 people from Zambia asked for asylum in another country. Of every 100 people from Zambia whose claims were decided that year, 41 were given protection. Who asks for asylum, and who is given it

How the world's displacement is counted

ZMB · of every 100 people

How people live in Zambia

Of every 100 people in Zambia in 2025, 39 lived in a city, 16 in a town or suburb and 45 in the countryside.

cities towns and suburbs rural areas

46.4 of every 100 have no electricity at home (2024). 82.9 of every 100 do not use the internet (2024).

How to read this: everyone here, shrunk to 100 squares, with the colour saying whether that hundredth person lives in a city, a town or the countryside. Every country is measured by the same rule.

How the world's people live

ZMB · adults 25 and over · 2020

How far people in Zambia went in school

Of every 100 adults in Zambia in 2020, 14 never went to school and 25 finished upper secondary or went further.

14 never went to school 23 some primary 21 finished primary 17 finished lower secondary 12 finished upper secondary 13 studied after school

Among women, 9.6 of every 100 aged 25–29 never went to school, against 27.5 of every 100 aged 60–64; among men, 7.5 against 11.7.

Its people aged 15 to 64 are projected to be most numerous in 2090; the ones who finished upper secondary are still growing in 2100.

How to read this: the row is the adults (25 and over) shrunk to 100 people, coloured by how far each went in school, least schooling on the left. The Wittgenstein Centre's count, 2020.

How far the world's people went in school

ZMB · cities · 2025

Cities in Zambia

Zambia had 33 cities in 2025, home to 8.5 million people. The largest, Lusaka, holds 16 of every 100 people in Zambia.

  1. Lusaka3,510,723
  2. Kitwe678,749
  3. Ndola535,108
  4. Mansa335,503
  5. Chingola294,193
  6. Kabwe267,618
  7. Kasama233,587
  8. Livingstone203,972
  9. Chipata197,310
  10. Mufulira173,181
All 10 cities in Zambia that reach 300,000 people

How to read this: the 10 biggest cities here in 2025, drawn on a single scale so the bars can be compared. Each is a built-up area on the UN's rule rather than a city government's patch.

All the world's cities

Apparatus

Sources and method

Every figure on this page comes from the UN's World Population Prospects 2024: the annual country tables (estimates to 2023, projections with 95% intervals from 2024), and the population by single year of age and sex for the pyramid.

The censuses, surveys and registers behind the UN's estimates for Zambia are listed, source by source, on the UN's own data sources page.

Sources: UN WPP 2024 · World Bank · UNHCR · country code lists · UN WUP 2025 · Wittgenstein Centre · WHO GHO · flag-icons · Natural Earth. Every source, its licence and how to cite it →

Checked before it was drawn

Verified 2026-09-30 · 73 canaries The pyramid for every year was checked against the published total. What that stamp counts, and what every page here has to pass before it can be built: how this site checks its figures.