Birth rate vs. death rate in Zambia
Zambia: Birth rate vs. death rate was 33.08 births per 1,000 people in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
33.08 births per 1,000 people
Change on year
down 1.4%
World rank
20th
of 236 countries
All-time high
50.11 births per 1,000 people
in 1950
All-time low
33.08 births per 1,000 people
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Birth rate vs. death rate in Zambia, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in births per 1,000 people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for birth rate vs. death rate in Zambia is 33.08 births per 1,000 people, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.4% on the previous year and down 15.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, birth rate vs. death rate in Zambia peaked at 50.11 births per 1,000 people in 1950 and was at its lowest, 33.08 births per 1,000 people, in 2023.
That places Zambia 20th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Birth rate vs. death rate in Zambia, year by year
| Year | births per 1,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 50.11 births per 1,000 people | — |
| 1951 | 49.8 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1952 | 49.64 births per 1,000 people | -0.3% |
| 1953 | 49.5 births per 1,000 people | -0.3% |
| 1954 | 49.34 births per 1,000 people | -0.3% |
| 1955 | 49.17 births per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 1956 | 48.97 births per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 1957 | 48.9 births per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 1958 | 48.87 births per 1,000 people | -0.0% |
| 1959 | 48.9 births per 1,000 people | +0.1% |
| 1960 | 48.95 births per 1,000 people | +0.1% |
| 1961 | 48.92 births per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 1962 | 48.87 births per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 1963 | 48.94 births per 1,000 people | +0.1% |
| 1964 | 48.85 births per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 1965 | 48.84 births per 1,000 people | -0.0% |
| 1966 | 48.79 births per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 1967 | 48.8 births per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 48.91 births per 1,000 people | +0.2% |
| 1969 | 48.93 births per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 49.32 births per 1,000 people | +0.8% |
| 1971 | 49.44 births per 1,000 people | +0.2% |
| 1972 | 49.59 births per 1,000 people | +0.3% |
| 1973 | 49.68 births per 1,000 people | +0.2% |
| 1974 | 49.66 births per 1,000 people | -0.0% |
| 1975 | 49.95 births per 1,000 people | +0.6% |
| 1976 | 49.53 births per 1,000 people | -0.8% |
| 1977 | 49.23 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1978 | 48.7 births per 1,000 people | -1.1% |
| 1979 | 48.17 births per 1,000 people | -1.1% |
| 1980 | 47.52 births per 1,000 people | -1.4% |
| 1981 | 47.33 births per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 1982 | 47.29 births per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 1983 | 47.32 births per 1,000 people | +0.1% |
| 1984 | 47.31 births per 1,000 people | -0.0% |
| 1985 | 47.45 births per 1,000 people | +0.3% |
| 1986 | 47.4 births per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 1987 | 47.27 births per 1,000 people | -0.3% |
| 1988 | 47.1 births per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 1989 | 47.11 births per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 46.97 births per 1,000 people | -0.3% |
| 1991 | 46.86 births per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 1992 | 46.55 births per 1,000 people | -0.7% |
| 1993 | 46.63 births per 1,000 people | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 46.73 births per 1,000 people | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 46.76 births per 1,000 people | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 46.58 births per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 46.31 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1998 | 46.18 births per 1,000 people | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 45.9 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 2000 | 45.47 births per 1,000 people | -0.9% |
| 2001 | 44.77 births per 1,000 people | -1.5% |
| 2002 | 44.33 births per 1,000 people | -1.0% |
| 2003 | 43.95 births per 1,000 people | -0.9% |
| 2004 | 43.92 births per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 43.84 births per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 2006 | 43.68 births per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 2007 | 43.18 births per 1,000 people | -1.2% |
| 2008 | 42.63 births per 1,000 people | -1.3% |
| 2009 | 42.03 births per 1,000 people | -1.4% |
| 2010 | 41.39 births per 1,000 people | -1.5% |
| 2011 | 40.66 births per 1,000 people | -1.8% |
| 2012 | 39.86 births per 1,000 people | -2.0% |
| 2013 | 38.98 births per 1,000 people | -2.2% |
| 2014 | 38.11 births per 1,000 people | -2.2% |
| 2015 | 37.34 births per 1,000 people | -2.0% |
| 2016 | 36.62 births per 1,000 people | -1.9% |
| 2017 | 35.94 births per 1,000 people | -1.9% |
| 2018 | 35.46 births per 1,000 people | -1.3% |
| 2019 | 35.01 births per 1,000 people | -1.3% |
| 2020 | 34.41 births per 1,000 people | -1.7% |
| 2021 | 33.93 births per 1,000 people | -1.4% |
| 2022 | 33.54 births per 1,000 people | -1.1% |
| 2023 | 33.08 births per 1,000 people | -1.4% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 33.08 births per 1,000 people is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 25.89 births per 1,000 people, 1.3× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 33.08 births per 1,000 people is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 31.17 births per 1,000 people, 1.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 49.32 births per 1,000 people | 48.87 births per 1,000 people | 50.11 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1960s | 48.88 births per 1,000 people | 48.79 births per 1,000 people | 48.95 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 49.33 births per 1,000 people | 48.17 births per 1,000 people | 49.95 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 47.31 births per 1,000 people | 47.1 births per 1,000 people | 47.52 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 46.55 births per 1,000 people | 45.9 births per 1,000 people | 46.97 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 43.78 births per 1,000 people | 42.03 births per 1,000 people | 45.47 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 37.94 births per 1,000 people | 35.01 births per 1,000 people | 41.39 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 33.74 births per 1,000 people | 33.08 births per 1,000 people | 34.41 births 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 birth rate vs. death rate in Zambia?
- Birth rate vs. death rate in Zambia was 33.08 births per 1,000 people in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest birth rate vs. death rate recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 50.11 births per 1,000 people in 1950.
- What is the lowest birth rate vs. death rate recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 33.08 births per 1,000 people in 2023.
- How does Zambia rank for birth rate vs. death rate?
- Zambia ranks 20th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is birth rate vs. death rate rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Birth rate vs. death rate. 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
Number of live births in a year per 1,000 people in the population.