Life expectancy at birth, total (years) (Life World Population) in Zambia
Zambia: Life expectancy at birth, total (years) (Life World Population) was 66.53 years in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
66.53 years
Change on year
up 0.3%
World rank
182nd
of 218 countries
All-time high
66.53 years
in 2024
All-time low
45.71 years
in 1998
Years of data
65
1960–2024
Life expectancy at birth, total in Zambia, 1960–2024
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in years.
Analysis
Zambia recorded 66.53 years for life expectancy at birth, total in 2024. That is the highest value across all 65 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 10.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth, total in Zambia peaked at 66.53 years in 2024 and was at its lowest, 45.71 years, in 1998.
That places Zambia 182nd out of 218 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 65 years of available data.
Life expectancy at birth, total (years) (Life World Population) in Zambia, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 50.65 years | — |
| 1961 | 51.04 years | +0.8% |
| 1962 | 51.33 years | +0.6% |
| 1963 | 51.6 years | +0.5% |
| 1964 | 51.17 years | -0.8% |
| 1965 | 52.08 years | +1.8% |
| 1966 | 52.29 years | +0.4% |
| 1967 | 52.51 years | +0.4% |
| 1968 | 52.72 years | +0.4% |
| 1969 | 53.04 years | +0.6% |
| 1970 | 53.4 years | +0.7% |
| 1971 | 53.89 years | +0.9% |
| 1972 | 54.38 years | +0.9% |
| 1973 | 54.91 years | +1.0% |
| 1974 | 55.38 years | +0.8% |
| 1975 | 55.74 years | +0.7% |
| 1976 | 56.1 years | +0.6% |
| 1977 | 56.28 years | +0.3% |
| 1978 | 56.34 years | +0.1% |
| 1979 | 56.05 years | -0.5% |
| 1980 | 55.5 years | -1.0% |
| 1981 | 54.99 years | -0.9% |
| 1982 | 54.36 years | -1.1% |
| 1983 | 53.67 years | -1.3% |
| 1984 | 52.88 years | -1.5% |
| 1985 | 52 years | -1.7% |
| 1986 | 51.15 years | -1.6% |
| 1987 | 50.42 years | -1.4% |
| 1988 | 49.67 years | -1.5% |
| 1989 | 48.88 years | -1.6% |
| 1990 | 48.2 years | -1.4% |
| 1991 | 47.44 years | -1.6% |
| 1992 | 46.97 years | -1.0% |
| 1993 | 46.68 years | -0.6% |
| 1994 | 46.34 years | -0.7% |
| 1995 | 46.05 years | -0.6% |
| 1996 | 45.76 years | -0.6% |
| 1997 | 45.74 years | -0.0% |
| 1998 | 45.71 years | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 45.92 years | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 46.58 years | +1.4% |
| 2001 | 47.41 years | +1.8% |
| 2002 | 48.46 years | +2.2% |
| 2003 | 49.62 years | +2.4% |
| 2004 | 50.54 years | +1.9% |
| 2005 | 51.62 years | +2.1% |
| 2006 | 52.69 years | +2.1% |
| 2007 | 53.73 years | +2.0% |
| 2008 | 54.84 years | +2.1% |
| 2009 | 55.89 years | +1.9% |
| 2010 | 56.9 years | +1.8% |
| 2011 | 57.84 years | +1.7% |
| 2012 | 58.7 years | +1.5% |
| 2013 | 59.45 years | +1.3% |
| 2014 | 60.11 years | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 60.73 years | +1.0% |
| 2016 | 61.13 years | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 61.56 years | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 62.14 years | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 62.91 years | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 63.36 years | +0.7% |
| 2021 | 62.36 years | -1.6% |
| 2022 | 65.28 years | +4.7% |
| 2023 | 66.35 years | +1.6% |
| 2024 | 66.53 years | +0.3% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 66.53 years is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 67.9 years, 98% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 66.53 years is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 64.26 years, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 51.84 years | 50.65 years | 53.04 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 55.25 years | 53.4 years | 56.34 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 52.35 years | 48.88 years | 55.5 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 46.48 years | 45.71 years | 48.2 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 51.14 years | 46.58 years | 55.89 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 60.15 years | 56.9 years | 62.91 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 64.78 years | 62.36 years | 66.53 years | 5 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 179 Marshall Islands 67.08 years compare
- 180 Comoros 67.02 years compare
- 181 Kiribati 66.6 years compare
- 183 Sudan 66.52 years compare
- 184 South Africa 66.31 years compare
- 185 Afghanistan 66.29 years 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)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy at birth, total in Zambia?
- Life expectancy at birth, total in Zambia was 66.53 years in 2024, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 66.53 years in 2024.
- What is the lowest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 45.71 years in 1998.
- How does Zambia rank for life expectancy at birth, total?
- Zambia ranks 182nd out of 218 countries with data for 2024.
- Is life expectancy at birth, total rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Life expectancy at birth, total (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Life expectancy at birth indicates the number of years a newborn infant would live if prevailing patterns of mortality at the time of its birth were to stay the same throughout its life.