Life expectancy at birth in Zambia
Zambia: Life expectancy at birth was 66.35 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Life expectancy at birth in Zambia, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
Zambia recorded 66.35 years for life expectancy at birth 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 at birth in Zambia peaked at 66.35 years in 2023 and was at its lowest, 45.71 years, in 1998.
Zambia ranks 199th 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.
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 | 56.34 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 | 64.34 years | 62.36 years | 66.35 years | 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 life expectancy at birth in Zambia?
- Life expectancy at birth in Zambia was 66.35 years in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest life expectancy at birth recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 66.35 years in 2023.
- What is the lowest life expectancy at birth recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 45.71 years in 1998.
- How does Zambia rank for life expectancy at birth?
- Zambia ranks 199th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is life expectancy at birth 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 UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Life expectancy at birth. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Period life expectancy at birth.