Difference in female and male life expectancy at birth in Zambia
Zambia: Difference in female and male life expectancy at birth was 4.74 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Difference in female and male life expectancy at birth in Zambia, 1950–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for difference in female and male life expectancy at birth in Zambia is 4.74, measured in 2023.
The figure is down 4.3% on the previous year and up 33.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, difference in female and male life expectancy at birth in Zambia peaked at 5.22 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 1.09, in 2005.
That places Zambia 132nd out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.
Difference in female and male life expectancy at birth in Zambia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 2.19 | — |
| 1951 | 2.09 | -4.5% |
| 1952 | 2.07 | -1.2% |
| 1953 | 2.05 | -0.7% |
| 1954 | 2.01 | -2.0% |
| 1955 | 2.04 | +1.4% |
| 1956 | 2.06 | +1.1% |
| 1957 | 2.09 | +1.3% |
| 1958 | 2.17 | +3.7% |
| 1959 | 2.25 | +3.9% |
| 1960 | 2.13 | -5.6% |
| 1961 | 2.08 | -2.3% |
| 1962 | 2.13 | +2.8% |
| 1963 | 2.08 | -2.6% |
| 1964 | 2.64 | +27.0% |
| 1965 | 2.25 | -15.0% |
| 1966 | 2.27 | +1.0% |
| 1967 | 2.34 | +2.9% |
| 1968 | 2.35 | +0.6% |
| 1969 | 2.4 | +2.1% |
| 1970 | 2.35 | -2.0% |
| 1971 | 2.38 | +1.3% |
| 1972 | 2.44 | +2.3% |
| 1973 | 2.34 | -3.9% |
| 1974 | 2.4 | +2.6% |
| 1975 | 2.48 | +3.2% |
| 1976 | 2.65 | +6.8% |
| 1977 | 2.84 | +7.2% |
| 1978 | 2.9 | +2.2% |
| 1979 | 3.27 | +12.6% |
| 1980 | 3.34 | +2.2% |
| 1981 | 3.44 | +3.1% |
| 1982 | 3.58 | +3.9% |
| 1983 | 3.4 | -4.9% |
| 1984 | 3.48 | +2.3% |
| 1985 | 3.46 | -0.7% |
| 1986 | 3.3 | -4.6% |
| 1987 | 3.1 | -5.9% |
| 1988 | 2.86 | -7.8% |
| 1989 | 2.73 | -4.5% |
| 1990 | 2.5 | -8.6% |
| 1991 | 2.41 | -3.7% |
| 1992 | 2.35 | -2.2% |
| 1993 | 2.41 | +2.3% |
| 1994 | 2.2 | -8.5% |
| 1995 | 2.18 | -0.9% |
| 1996 | 2 | -8.1% |
| 1997 | 1.96 | -2.1% |
| 1998 | 1.74 | -11.5% |
| 1999 | 1.53 | -11.7% |
| 2000 | 1.5 | -2.3% |
| 2001 | 1.46 | -2.6% |
| 2002 | 1.44 | -1.1% |
| 2003 | 1.7 | +17.7% |
| 2004 | 1.2 | -29.6% |
| 2005 | 1.09 | -9.2% |
| 2006 | 1.41 | +30.1% |
| 2007 | 1.59 | +12.7% |
| 2008 | 2.16 | +35.7% |
| 2009 | 2.21 | +2.4% |
| 2010 | 2.72 | +22.7% |
| 2011 | 3.2 | +17.9% |
| 2012 | 3.39 | +5.9% |
| 2013 | 3.54 | +4.4% |
| 2014 | 3.94 | +11.2% |
| 2015 | 4.28 | +8.9% |
| 2016 | 4.34 | +1.3% |
| 2017 | 4.66 | +7.3% |
| 2018 | 4.84 | +3.9% |
| 2019 | 5.09 | +5.2% |
| 2020 | 5.22 | +2.6% |
| 2021 | 5.13 | -1.7% |
| 2022 | 4.95 | -3.6% |
| 2023 | 4.74 | -4.3% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 4.74 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 4.48, 1.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 4.74 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4.44, 1.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Difference in female and male life expectancy at birth in Zambia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | +35.7% | 1.59 | 2.16 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 2.1 | 2.01 | 2.25 | 10 |
| 1960s | 2.27 | 2.08 | 2.64 | 10 |
| 1970s | 2.61 | 2.34 | 3.27 | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.27 | 2.73 | 3.58 | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.13 | 1.53 | 2.5 | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.58 | 1.09 | 2.21 | 10 |
| 2010s | 4 | 2.72 | 5.09 | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.01 | 4.74 | 5.22 | 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)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 8,894 (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 difference in female and male life expectancy at birth in Zambia?
- Difference in female and male life expectancy at birth in Zambia was 4.74 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest difference in female and male life expectancy at birth recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 5.22 in 2020.
- What is the lowest difference in female and male life expectancy at birth recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.09 in 2005.
- How does Zambia rank for difference in female and male life expectancy at birth?
- Zambia ranks 132nd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is difference in female and male life expectancy at birth rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 33.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Difference in female and male life expectancy at birth. 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).