Life expectancy men women in Zambia
Zambia: Life expectancy men women was 68.67 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
68.67
Change on year
up 1.4%
World rank
202nd
of 236 countries
All-time high
68.67
in 2023
All-time low
46.54
in 1998
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Life expectancy men women in Zambia, 1950–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2023, life expectancy men women in Zambia stood at 68.67. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.4% on the previous year and up 12.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy men women in Zambia peaked at 68.67 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 46.54, in 1998.
Zambia ranks 202nd of 236 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.
Life expectancy men women in Zambia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 47.91 | — |
| 1951 | 48.22 | +0.7% |
| 1952 | 48.61 | +0.8% |
| 1953 | 49.02 | +0.8% |
| 1954 | 49.37 | +0.7% |
| 1955 | 49.77 | +0.8% |
| 1956 | 50.16 | +0.8% |
| 1957 | 50.51 | +0.7% |
| 1958 | 50.97 | +0.9% |
| 1959 | 51.42 | +0.9% |
| 1960 | 51.71 | +0.6% |
| 1961 | 52.08 | +0.7% |
| 1962 | 52.39 | +0.6% |
| 1963 | 52.64 | +0.5% |
| 1964 | 52.49 | -0.3% |
| 1965 | 53.2 | +1.3% |
| 1966 | 53.42 | +0.4% |
| 1967 | 53.67 | +0.5% |
| 1968 | 53.89 | +0.4% |
| 1969 | 54.24 | +0.6% |
| 1970 | 54.57 | +0.6% |
| 1971 | 55.07 | +0.9% |
| 1972 | 55.58 | +0.9% |
| 1973 | 56.06 | +0.9% |
| 1974 | 56.56 | +0.9% |
| 1975 | 56.96 | +0.7% |
| 1976 | 57.4 | +0.8% |
| 1977 | 57.67 | +0.5% |
| 1978 | 57.76 | +0.1% |
| 1979 | 57.65 | -0.2% |
| 1980 | 57.13 | -0.9% |
| 1981 | 56.67 | -0.8% |
| 1982 | 56.11 | -1.0% |
| 1983 | 55.33 | -1.4% |
| 1984 | 54.58 | -1.4% |
| 1985 | 53.69 | -1.6% |
| 1986 | 52.75 | -1.7% |
| 1987 | 51.93 | -1.6% |
| 1988 | 51.06 | -1.7% |
| 1989 | 50.2 | -1.7% |
| 1990 | 49.41 | -1.6% |
| 1991 | 48.6 | -1.6% |
| 1992 | 48.1 | -1.0% |
| 1993 | 47.84 | -0.5% |
| 1994 | 47.4 | -0.9% |
| 1995 | 47.1 | -0.6% |
| 1996 | 46.72 | -0.8% |
| 1997 | 46.68 | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 46.54 | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 46.66 | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 47.3 | +1.4% |
| 2001 | 48.1 | +1.7% |
| 2002 | 49.15 | +2.2% |
| 2003 | 50.42 | +2.6% |
| 2004 | 51.1 | +1.3% |
| 2005 | 52.12 | +2.0% |
| 2006 | 53.35 | +2.4% |
| 2007 | 54.47 | +2.1% |
| 2008 | 55.85 | +2.5% |
| 2009 | 56.93 | +1.9% |
| 2010 | 58.2 | +2.2% |
| 2011 | 59.39 | +2.1% |
| 2012 | 60.34 | +1.6% |
| 2013 | 61.16 | +1.4% |
| 2014 | 62.03 | +1.4% |
| 2015 | 62.83 | +1.3% |
| 2016 | 63.26 | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 63.86 | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 64.53 | +1.0% |
| 2019 | 65.44 | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 65.95 | +0.8% |
| 2021 | 64.92 | -1.6% |
| 2022 | 67.72 | +4.3% |
| 2023 | 68.67 | +1.4% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 68.67 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 70.48, 97% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 68.67 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 66.75, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 49.59 | 47.91 | 51.42 | 10 |
| 1960s | 52.97 | 51.71 | 54.24 | 10 |
| 1970s | 56.53 | 54.57 | 57.76 | 10 |
| 1980s | 53.95 | 50.2 | 57.13 | 10 |
| 1990s | 47.5 | 46.54 | 49.41 | 10 |
| 2000s | 51.88 | 47.3 | 56.93 | 10 |
| 2010s | 62.1 | 58.2 | 65.44 | 10 |
| 2020s | 66.82 | 64.92 | 68.67 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
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)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 8,894 (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)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0744 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy men women in Zambia?
- Life expectancy men women in Zambia was 68.67 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest life expectancy men women recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 68.67 in 2023.
- What is the lowest life expectancy men women recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 46.54 in 1998.
- How does Zambia rank for life expectancy men women?
- Zambia ranks 202nd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is life expectancy men women rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.3%. 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 Life expectancy men women. 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).