What is life expectancy in Zambia?

Life expectancy in Zambia was 66.35 years in 2023, according to Riley (2005); Zijdeman et al. (2015); HMD (2025); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.

What is the highest life expectancy recorded in Zambia?

The highest recorded value was 66.35 years in 2023.

What is the lowest life expectancy recorded in Zambia?

The lowest recorded value was 45.71 years in 1998.

How does Zambia rank for life expectancy?

Zambia ranks 199th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.

Is life expectancy rising or falling in Zambia?

Over the last ten years it is up 11.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.

Where does this Zambia data come from?

The figures come from Riley (2005); Zijdeman et al. (2015); HMD (2025); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Life expectancy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Life expectancy in Zambia

Name: Life expectancy in Zambia
Creator: Riley (2005); Zijdeman et al. (2015); HMD (2025); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

Zambia: Life expectancy was 66.35 years in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)

66.35 years

Change on year

up 1.6%

World rank

199th

of 236 countries

All-time high

66.35 years

in 2023

All-time low

45.71 years

in 1998

Years of data

1950–2023

Life expectancy in Zambia, 1950–2023

Source: Riley (2005); Zijdeman et al. (2015); HMD (2025); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.

Analysis

The most recent figure for life expectancy in Zambia is 66.35 years, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.6% on the previous year and up 11.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, life expectancy in Zambia peaked at 66.35 years in 2023 and was at its lowest, 45.71 years, in 1998.

That places Zambia 199th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1950s	48.54 years	46.8 years	50.29 years	10
1960s	51.84 years	50.65 years	53.04 years	10
1970s	55.25 years	53.4 years	56.33 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	64.34 years	62.36 years	66.35 years	4

Countries ranked near Zambia

196 Myanmar 66.89 years compare
197 Comoros 66.78 years compare
198 Kiribati 66.47 years compare
200 Sudan 66.33 years compare
201 South Africa 66.14 years compare
202 Papua New Guinea 66.13 years compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

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)

All data for Zambia →

Frequently asked questions

What is life expectancy in Zambia?: Life expectancy in Zambia was 66.35 years in 2023, according to Riley (2005); Zijdeman et al. (2015); HMD (2025); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest life expectancy recorded in Zambia?: The highest recorded value was 66.35 years in 2023.
What is the lowest life expectancy recorded in Zambia?: The lowest recorded value was 45.71 years in 1998.
How does Zambia rank for life expectancy?: Zambia ranks 199th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
Is life expectancy rising or falling in Zambia?: Over the last ten years it is up 11.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Zambia data come from?: The figures come from Riley (2005); Zijdeman et al. (2015); HMD (2025); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Life expectancy. 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

Indicator: Life expectancy
Unit: years
Source: Riley (2005); Zijdeman et al. (2015); HMD (2025); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 236 places, 19,452 data points, 1543–2023
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

Period life expectancy is the number of years the average person born in a certain year would live if they experienced the same chances of dying at each age as people did that year.