Life expectancy vs. GDP per capita (Riley; Zijdeman) in Zambia
Zambia: Life expectancy vs. GDP per capita (Riley; Zijdeman) 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
74
1950–2023
Life expectancy vs. GDP per capita 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
Zambia recorded 66.35 years for life expectancy vs. gdp per capita in 2023. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.
The figure is up 1.6% on the previous year and up 11.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy vs. gdp per capita 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.
Life expectancy vs. GDP per capita (Riley; Zijdeman) in Zambia, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 46.8 years | — |
| 1951 | 47.17 years | +0.8% |
| 1952 | 47.57 years | +0.9% |
| 1953 | 47.99 years | +0.9% |
| 1954 | 48.36 years | +0.8% |
| 1955 | 48.76 years | +0.8% |
| 1956 | 49.13 years | +0.8% |
| 1957 | 49.47 years | +0.7% |
| 1958 | 49.89 years | +0.9% |
| 1959 | 50.29 years | +0.8% |
| 1960 | 50.65 years | +0.7% |
| 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 | 56.33 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 | 51.61 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% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 66.35 years is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 67.65 years, 98% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 66.35 years is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 64.1 years, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
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
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)
- 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)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0744 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy vs. gdp per capita in Zambia?
- Life expectancy vs. gdp per capita 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 vs. gdp per capita recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 66.35 years in 2023.
- What is the lowest life expectancy vs. gdp per capita recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 45.71 years in 1998.
- How does Zambia rank for life expectancy vs. gdp per capita?
- Zambia ranks 199th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is life expectancy vs. gdp per capita 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 vs. GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
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.