Fertility rate, total in Zambia
Zambia: Fertility rate, total was 4.04 births per woman in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
4.04 births per woman
Change on year
down 1.6%
World rank
25th
of 217 countries
All-time high
7.42 births per woman
in 1975
All-time low
4.04 births per woman
in 2024
Years of data
65
1960–2024
Fertility rate, total in Zambia, 1960–2024
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division. Measured in births per woman.
Analysis
In 2024, fertility rate, total in Zambia stood at 4.04 births per woman. That is the lowest value across all 65 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.6% on the previous year and down 17.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertility rate, total in Zambia peaked at 7.42 births per woman in 1975 and was at its lowest, 4.04 births per woman, in 2024.
That places Zambia 25th out of 217 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.
Fertility rate, total in Zambia, year by year
| Year | births per woman | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 6.95 births per woman | — |
| 1961 | 6.98 births per woman | +0.5% |
| 1962 | 7.01 births per woman | +0.4% |
| 1963 | 7.06 births per woman | +0.7% |
| 1964 | 7.08 births per woman | +0.4% |
| 1965 | 7.12 births per woman | +0.4% |
| 1966 | 7.14 births per woman | +0.3% |
| 1967 | 7.15 births per woman | +0.2% |
| 1968 | 7.18 births per woman | +0.4% |
| 1969 | 7.18 births per woman | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 7.22 births per woman | +0.6% |
| 1971 | 7.26 births per woman | +0.5% |
| 1972 | 7.3 births per woman | +0.6% |
| 1973 | 7.34 births per woman | +0.5% |
| 1974 | 7.36 births per woman | +0.3% |
| 1975 | 7.42 births per woman | +0.8% |
| 1976 | 7.39 births per woman | -0.4% |
| 1977 | 7.35 births per woman | -0.5% |
| 1978 | 7.29 births per woman | -0.8% |
| 1979 | 7.22 births per woman | -1.0% |
| 1980 | 7.14 births per woman | -1.1% |
| 1981 | 7.07 births per woman | -0.9% |
| 1982 | 7.04 births per woman | -0.5% |
| 1983 | 7.01 births per woman | -0.5% |
| 1984 | 6.97 births per woman | -0.5% |
| 1985 | 6.93 births per woman | -0.7% |
| 1986 | 6.87 births per woman | -0.9% |
| 1987 | 6.8 births per woman | -1.0% |
| 1988 | 6.7 births per woman | -1.4% |
| 1989 | 6.63 births per woman | -1.0% |
| 1990 | 6.57 births per woman | -1.0% |
| 1991 | 6.46 births per woman | -1.7% |
| 1992 | 6.35 births per woman | -1.7% |
| 1993 | 6.3 births per woman | -0.8% |
| 1994 | 6.26 births per woman | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 6.23 births per woman | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 6.18 births per woman | -0.8% |
| 1997 | 6.12 births per woman | -0.9% |
| 1998 | 6.07 births per woman | -0.9% |
| 1999 | 6 births per woman | -1.1% |
| 2000 | 5.92 births per woman | -1.3% |
| 2001 | 5.85 births per woman | -1.2% |
| 2002 | 5.77 births per woman | -1.3% |
| 2003 | 5.71 births per woman | -1.1% |
| 2004 | 5.7 births per woman | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 5.7 births per woman | -0.0% |
| 2006 | 5.68 births per woman | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 5.61 births per woman | -1.2% |
| 2008 | 5.53 births per woman | -1.5% |
| 2009 | 5.45 births per woman | -1.4% |
| 2010 | 5.36 births per woman | -1.7% |
| 2011 | 5.26 births per woman | -1.9% |
| 2012 | 5.14 births per woman | -2.3% |
| 2013 | 5.01 births per woman | -2.4% |
| 2014 | 4.89 births per woman | -2.5% |
| 2015 | 4.78 births per woman | -2.4% |
| 2016 | 4.67 births per woman | -2.2% |
| 2017 | 4.57 births per woman | -2.2% |
| 2018 | 4.49 births per woman | -1.6% |
| 2019 | 4.42 births per woman | -1.6% |
| 2020 | 4.32 births per woman | -2.2% |
| 2021 | 4.25 births per woman | -1.8% |
| 2022 | 4.17 births per woman | -1.7% |
| 2023 | 4.1 births per woman | -1.8% |
| 2024 | 4.04 births per woman | -1.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 7.09 births per woman | 6.95 births per woman | 7.18 births per woman | 10 |
| 1970s | 7.32 births per woman | 7.22 births per woman | 7.42 births per woman | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.92 births per woman | 6.63 births per woman | 7.14 births per woman | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.25 births per woman | 6 births per woman | 6.57 births per woman | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.69 births per woman | 5.45 births per woman | 5.92 births per woman | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.86 births per woman | 4.42 births per woman | 5.36 births per woman | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.18 births per woman | 4.04 births per woman | 4.32 births per woman | 5 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 22 Equatorial Guinea 4.12 births per woman compare
- 23 Burkina Faso 4.11 births per woman compare
- 24 Congo 4.11 births per woman compare
- 26 Madagascar 3.91 births per woman compare
- 27 Ethiopia 3.91 births per woman compare
- 28 Gambia 3.91 births per woman compare
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)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 809.3 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 8,894 deaths (2100)
- Population ages 0-14, female, annual growth rate 1.6 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per capita 0.2049 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, annual growth rate 1.61 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, per capita 0.2048 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fertility rate, total in Zambia?
- Fertility rate, total in Zambia was 4.04 births per woman in 2024, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division.
- What is the highest fertility rate, total recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 7.42 births per woman in 1975.
- What is the lowest fertility rate, total recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.04 births per woman in 2024.
- How does Zambia rank for fertility rate, total?
- Zambia ranks 25th out of 217 countries with data for 2024.
- Is fertility rate, total rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division, published as part of Fertility rate, total (births per woman). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Total fertility rate represents the number of children that would be born to a woman if she were to live to the end of her childbearing years and bear children in accordance with age-specific fertility rates of the specified year.