Annual death rates at different ages in Zambia
Zambia: Annual death rates at different ages was 39.51 deaths per 1,000 people in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
39.51 deaths per 1,000 people
Change on year
down 2.7%
World rank
27th
of 236 countries
All-time high
138.48 deaths per 1,000 people
in 1950
All-time low
39.51 deaths per 1,000 people
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Annual death rates at different ages in Zambia, 1950–2023
Source: Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths per 1,000 people.
Analysis
Zambia recorded 39.51 deaths per 1,000 people for annual death rates at different ages in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.7% on the previous year and down 22.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual death rates at different ages in Zambia peaked at 138.48 deaths per 1,000 people in 1950 and was at its lowest, 39.51 deaths per 1,000 people, in 2023.
That places Zambia 27th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Annual death rates at different ages in Zambia, year by year
| Year | deaths per 1,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 138.48 deaths per 1,000 people | — |
| 1951 | 136.8 deaths per 1,000 people | -1.2% |
| 1952 | 135.16 deaths per 1,000 people | -1.2% |
| 1953 | 133.56 deaths per 1,000 people | -1.2% |
| 1954 | 131.97 deaths per 1,000 people | -1.2% |
| 1955 | 130.41 deaths per 1,000 people | -1.2% |
| 1956 | 128.82 deaths per 1,000 people | -1.2% |
| 1957 | 127.22 deaths per 1,000 people | -1.2% |
| 1958 | 125.57 deaths per 1,000 people | -1.3% |
| 1959 | 123.92 deaths per 1,000 people | -1.3% |
| 1960 | 122.39 deaths per 1,000 people | -1.2% |
| 1961 | 120.92 deaths per 1,000 people | -1.2% |
| 1962 | 119.57 deaths per 1,000 people | -1.1% |
| 1963 | 118.39 deaths per 1,000 people | -1.0% |
| 1964 | 118.17 deaths per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 1965 | 116.37 deaths per 1,000 people | -1.5% |
| 1966 | 115.41 deaths per 1,000 people | -0.8% |
| 1967 | 114.41 deaths per 1,000 people | -0.9% |
| 1968 | 113.26 deaths per 1,000 people | -1.0% |
| 1969 | 111.88 deaths per 1,000 people | -1.2% |
| 1970 | 110.21 deaths per 1,000 people | -1.5% |
| 1971 | 108.26 deaths per 1,000 people | -1.8% |
| 1972 | 106.15 deaths per 1,000 people | -1.9% |
| 1973 | 104.08 deaths per 1,000 people | -2.0% |
| 1974 | 102.24 deaths per 1,000 people | -1.8% |
| 1975 | 100.77 deaths per 1,000 people | -1.4% |
| 1976 | 99.76 deaths per 1,000 people | -1.0% |
| 1977 | 99.23 deaths per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 1978 | 99.14 deaths per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 1979 | 99.29 deaths per 1,000 people | +0.2% |
| 1980 | 99.75 deaths per 1,000 people | +0.5% |
| 1981 | 100.39 deaths per 1,000 people | +0.6% |
| 1982 | 101.37 deaths per 1,000 people | +1.0% |
| 1983 | 102.49 deaths per 1,000 people | +1.1% |
| 1984 | 103.88 deaths per 1,000 people | +1.4% |
| 1985 | 105.43 deaths per 1,000 people | +1.5% |
| 1986 | 107.02 deaths per 1,000 people | +1.5% |
| 1987 | 108.55 deaths per 1,000 people | +1.4% |
| 1988 | 109.87 deaths per 1,000 people | +1.2% |
| 1989 | 110.94 deaths per 1,000 people | +1.0% |
| 1990 | 111.67 deaths per 1,000 people | +0.7% |
| 1991 | 112.17 deaths per 1,000 people | +0.4% |
| 1992 | 111.9 deaths per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 111.13 deaths per 1,000 people | -0.7% |
| 1994 | 110.02 deaths per 1,000 people | -1.0% |
| 1995 | 108.75 deaths per 1,000 people | -1.2% |
| 1996 | 107.22 deaths per 1,000 people | -1.4% |
| 1997 | 105.33 deaths per 1,000 people | -1.8% |
| 1998 | 103.03 deaths per 1,000 people | -2.2% |
| 1999 | 100.37 deaths per 1,000 people | -2.6% |
| 2000 | 96.82 deaths per 1,000 people | -3.5% |
| 2001 | 92.61 deaths per 1,000 people | -4.3% |
| 2002 | 87.81 deaths per 1,000 people | -5.2% |
| 2003 | 82.78 deaths per 1,000 people | -5.7% |
| 2004 | 77.81 deaths per 1,000 people | -6.0% |
| 2005 | 72.97 deaths per 1,000 people | -6.2% |
| 2006 | 68.71 deaths per 1,000 people | -5.8% |
| 2007 | 64.9 deaths per 1,000 people | -5.5% |
| 2008 | 61.62 deaths per 1,000 people | -5.1% |
| 2009 | 58.81 deaths per 1,000 people | -4.6% |
| 2010 | 56.39 deaths per 1,000 people | -4.1% |
| 2011 | 54.4 deaths per 1,000 people | -3.5% |
| 2012 | 52.68 deaths per 1,000 people | -3.2% |
| 2013 | 51.14 deaths per 1,000 people | -2.9% |
| 2014 | 49.65 deaths per 1,000 people | -2.9% |
| 2015 | 48.59 deaths per 1,000 people | -2.1% |
| 2016 | 47.39 deaths per 1,000 people | -2.5% |
| 2017 | 46.25 deaths per 1,000 people | -2.4% |
| 2018 | 45.13 deaths per 1,000 people | -2.4% |
| 2019 | 44 deaths per 1,000 people | -2.5% |
| 2020 | 42.86 deaths per 1,000 people | -2.6% |
| 2021 | 41.73 deaths per 1,000 people | -2.6% |
| 2022 | 40.61 deaths per 1,000 people | -2.7% |
| 2023 | 39.51 deaths per 1,000 people | -2.7% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 39.51 deaths per 1,000 people is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 30.44 deaths per 1,000 people, 1.3× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 39.51 deaths per 1,000 people is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 38.59 deaths per 1,000 people, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 131.19 deaths per 1,000 people | 123.92 deaths per 1,000 people | 138.48 deaths per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1960s | 117.08 deaths per 1,000 people | 111.88 deaths per 1,000 people | 122.39 deaths per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 102.91 deaths per 1,000 people | 99.14 deaths per 1,000 people | 110.21 deaths per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 104.97 deaths per 1,000 people | 99.75 deaths per 1,000 people | 110.94 deaths per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 108.16 deaths per 1,000 people | 100.37 deaths per 1,000 people | 112.17 deaths per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 76.49 deaths per 1,000 people | 58.81 deaths per 1,000 people | 96.82 deaths per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 49.56 deaths per 1,000 people | 44 deaths per 1,000 people | 56.39 deaths per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 41.18 deaths per 1,000 people | 39.51 deaths per 1,000 people | 42.86 deaths per 1,000 people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
More health data for Zambia
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.09 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.7971 % change on previous year (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 8,894 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.68 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0743 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.69 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0744 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual death rates at different ages in Zambia?
- Annual death rates at different ages in Zambia was 39.51 deaths per 1,000 people in 2023, according to Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual death rates at different ages recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 138.48 deaths per 1,000 people in 1950.
- What is the lowest annual death rates at different ages recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 39.51 deaths per 1,000 people in 2023.
- How does Zambia rank for annual death rates at different ages?
- Zambia ranks 27th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is annual death rates at different ages rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 22.7%. 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) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual death rates at different ages. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Death rate, calculated as the number of deaths divided by the average number of people alive during the interval.