Life expectancy of women vs. men in Zambia
Zambia: Life expectancy of women vs. men was 68.67 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
68.67 years
Change on year
up 1.4%
World rank
202nd
of 236 countries
All-time high
68.67 years
in 2023
All-time low
46.54 years
in 1998
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Life expectancy of women vs. men in Zambia, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2023, life expectancy of women vs. men in Zambia stood at 68.67 years. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.4% on the previous year and up 12.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy of women vs. men in Zambia peaked at 68.67 years in 2023 and was at its lowest, 46.54 years, 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 of women vs. men in Zambia, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 47.91 years | — |
| 1951 | 48.22 years | +0.7% |
| 1952 | 48.61 years | +0.8% |
| 1953 | 49.02 years | +0.8% |
| 1954 | 49.37 years | +0.7% |
| 1955 | 49.77 years | +0.8% |
| 1956 | 50.16 years | +0.8% |
| 1957 | 50.51 years | +0.7% |
| 1958 | 50.97 years | +0.9% |
| 1959 | 51.42 years | +0.9% |
| 1960 | 51.71 years | +0.6% |
| 1961 | 52.08 years | +0.7% |
| 1962 | 52.39 years | +0.6% |
| 1963 | 52.64 years | +0.5% |
| 1964 | 52.49 years | -0.3% |
| 1965 | 53.2 years | +1.3% |
| 1966 | 53.42 years | +0.4% |
| 1967 | 53.67 years | +0.5% |
| 1968 | 53.89 years | +0.4% |
| 1969 | 54.24 years | +0.6% |
| 1970 | 54.57 years | +0.6% |
| 1971 | 55.07 years | +0.9% |
| 1972 | 55.58 years | +0.9% |
| 1973 | 56.06 years | +0.9% |
| 1974 | 56.56 years | +0.9% |
| 1975 | 56.96 years | +0.7% |
| 1976 | 57.4 years | +0.8% |
| 1977 | 57.67 years | +0.5% |
| 1978 | 57.76 years | +0.1% |
| 1979 | 57.65 years | -0.2% |
| 1980 | 57.13 years | -0.9% |
| 1981 | 56.67 years | -0.8% |
| 1982 | 56.11 years | -1.0% |
| 1983 | 55.33 years | -1.4% |
| 1984 | 54.58 years | -1.4% |
| 1985 | 53.69 years | -1.6% |
| 1986 | 52.75 years | -1.7% |
| 1987 | 51.93 years | -1.6% |
| 1988 | 51.06 years | -1.7% |
| 1989 | 50.2 years | -1.7% |
| 1990 | 49.41 years | -1.6% |
| 1991 | 48.6 years | -1.6% |
| 1992 | 48.1 years | -1.0% |
| 1993 | 47.84 years | -0.5% |
| 1994 | 47.4 years | -0.9% |
| 1995 | 47.1 years | -0.6% |
| 1996 | 46.72 years | -0.8% |
| 1997 | 46.68 years | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 46.54 years | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 46.66 years | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 47.3 years | +1.4% |
| 2001 | 48.1 years | +1.7% |
| 2002 | 49.15 years | +2.2% |
| 2003 | 50.42 years | +2.6% |
| 2004 | 51.1 years | +1.3% |
| 2005 | 52.12 years | +2.0% |
| 2006 | 53.35 years | +2.4% |
| 2007 | 54.47 years | +2.1% |
| 2008 | 55.85 years | +2.5% |
| 2009 | 56.93 years | +1.9% |
| 2010 | 58.2 years | +2.2% |
| 2011 | 59.39 years | +2.1% |
| 2012 | 60.34 years | +1.6% |
| 2013 | 61.16 years | +1.4% |
| 2014 | 62.03 years | +1.4% |
| 2015 | 62.83 years | +1.3% |
| 2016 | 63.26 years | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 63.86 years | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 64.53 years | +1.0% |
| 2019 | 65.44 years | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 65.95 years | +0.8% |
| 2021 | 64.92 years | -1.6% |
| 2022 | 67.72 years | +4.3% |
| 2023 | 68.67 years | +1.4% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 68.67 years is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 70.48 years, 97% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 68.67 years is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 66.75 years, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 49.59 years | 47.91 years | 51.42 years | 10 |
| 1960s | 52.97 years | 51.71 years | 54.24 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 56.53 years | 54.57 years | 57.76 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 53.95 years | 50.2 years | 57.13 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 47.5 years | 46.54 years | 49.41 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 51.88 years | 47.3 years | 56.93 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 62.1 years | 58.2 years | 65.44 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 66.82 years | 64.92 years | 68.67 years | 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)
- 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 of women vs. men in Zambia?
- Life expectancy of women vs. men in Zambia was 68.67 years in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest life expectancy of women vs. men recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 68.67 years in 2023.
- What is the lowest life expectancy of women vs. men recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 46.54 years in 1998.
- How does Zambia rank for life expectancy of women vs. men?
- Zambia ranks 202nd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is life expectancy of women vs. men 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 UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Life expectancy of women vs. men. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Period life expectancy at birth.