Healthy life expectancy at birth in Zambia

Zambia: Healthy life expectancy at birth was 52.97 in 2021. ▲ Rising

Latest (2021)
52.97
Change on year
down 1.8%
World rank
172nd
of 185 countries
All-time high
53.91
in 2020
All-time low
38.89
in 2000
Years of data
22
2000–2021

Healthy life expectancy at birth in Zambia, 2000–2021

02040602000201020212000: 38.92001: 39.32002: 402003: 41.22004: 42.62005: 43.82006: 452007: 46.62008: 48.12009: 49.22010: 49.92011: 50.52012: 51.12013: 51.72014: 52.32015: 52.72016: 53.12017: 53.42018: 53.52019: 53.92020: 53.92021: 53

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2021, healthy life expectancy at birth in Zambia stood at 52.97.

The figure is down 1.8% on the previous year and up 5.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, healthy life expectancy at birth in Zambia peaked at 53.91 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 38.89, in 2000.

That places Zambia 172nd out of 185 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 43.47 38.89 49.22 10
2010s 52.2 49.92 53.87 10
2020s 53.44 52.97 53.91 2

Countries ranked near Zambia

  1. 169 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 53.21 compare
  2. 170 Sierra Leone 53.13 compare
  3. 171 Botswana 53.1 compare
  4. 173 Namibia 52.82 compare
  5. 174 South Africa 52.76 compare
  6. 175 Niger 52.61 compare

See the full ranking of 185 places →

More health data for Zambia

All data for Zambia →

Frequently asked questions

What is healthy life expectancy at birth in Zambia?
Healthy life expectancy at birth in Zambia was 52.97 in 2021, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest healthy life expectancy at birth recorded in Zambia?
The highest recorded value was 53.91 in 2020.
What is the lowest healthy life expectancy at birth recorded in Zambia?
The lowest recorded value was 38.89 in 2000.
How does Zambia rank for healthy life expectancy at birth?
Zambia ranks 172nd out of 185 countries with data for 2021.
Is healthy life expectancy at birth rising or falling in Zambia?
Over the last ten years it is up 5.0%. 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 Healthy life expectancy at birth. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Healthy life expectancy at birth in Zambia. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 21 August 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/healthy-life-expectancy-at-birth/zambia/

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About this data

Indicator
Healthy life expectancy at birth
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
185 places, 4,070 data points, 2000–2021
Last refreshed