Infant mortality rate in Zambia
Zambia: Infant mortality rate was 3.8% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Infant mortality rate in Zambia, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of infants.
Analysis
Zambia recorded 3.8% for infant mortality rate in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.6% on the previous year and down 22.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, infant mortality rate in Zambia peaked at 12.6% in 1950 and was at its lowest, 3.8%, in 2023.
Zambia ranks 27th of 236 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 12.0% | 11.4% | 12.6% | 10 |
| 1960s | 10.8% | 10.4% | 11.3% | 10 |
| 1970s | 9.6% | 9.3% | 10.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 9.8% | 9.3% | 10.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 10.1% | 9.4% | 10.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 7.2% | 5.6% | 9.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.8% | 4.2% | 5.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.0% | 3.8% | 4.1% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
More health data for Zambia
- 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)
- Deaths in armed conflicts based on where they occurred 0 deaths (2026)
- Deaths in armed conflicts by region 0 deaths (2026)
- Age population, age 25, male, interpolated 186,618 (2025)
- Age population, age 25, female, interpolated 190,016 (2025)
- Age population, age 24, male, interpolated 191,969 (2025)
- Age population, age 24, female, interpolated 195,406 (2025)
- Age population, age 23, male, interpolated 197,654 (2025)
- Age population, age 23, female, interpolated 201,065 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is infant mortality rate in Zambia?
- Infant mortality rate in Zambia was 3.8% in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest infant mortality rate recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 12.6% in 1950.
- What is the lowest infant mortality rate recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.8% in 2023.
- How does Zambia rank for infant mortality rate?
- Zambia ranks 27th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is infant mortality rate rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 22.2%. 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 Infant mortality 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
The share of newborns who die before reaching the age of one.