Life expectancy (Our World) in Zambia
Zambia: Life expectancy (Our World) was 66.35 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
66.35
Change on year
up 1.6%
World rank
199th
of 236 countries
All-time high
66.35
in 2023
All-time low
45.71
in 1998
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Life expectancy in Zambia, 1950–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Zambia recorded 66.35 for life expectancy in 2023. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.
That represents a change of 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 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 45.71, 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.
Life expectancy (Our World) in Zambia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 46.8 | — |
| 1951 | 47.17 | +0.8% |
| 1952 | 47.57 | +0.9% |
| 1953 | 47.99 | +0.9% |
| 1954 | 48.36 | +0.8% |
| 1955 | 48.76 | +0.8% |
| 1956 | 49.13 | +0.8% |
| 1957 | 49.47 | +0.7% |
| 1958 | 49.89 | +0.9% |
| 1959 | 50.29 | +0.8% |
| 1960 | 50.65 | +0.7% |
| 1961 | 51.04 | +0.8% |
| 1962 | 51.33 | +0.6% |
| 1963 | 51.6 | +0.5% |
| 1964 | 51.17 | -0.8% |
| 1965 | 52.08 | +1.8% |
| 1966 | 52.29 | +0.4% |
| 1967 | 52.51 | +0.4% |
| 1968 | 52.72 | +0.4% |
| 1969 | 53.04 | +0.6% |
| 1970 | 53.4 | +0.7% |
| 1971 | 53.89 | +0.9% |
| 1972 | 54.38 | +0.9% |
| 1973 | 54.91 | +1.0% |
| 1974 | 55.38 | +0.8% |
| 1975 | 55.74 | +0.7% |
| 1976 | 56.1 | +0.6% |
| 1977 | 56.28 | +0.3% |
| 1978 | 56.33 | +0.1% |
| 1979 | 56.05 | -0.5% |
| 1980 | 55.5 | -1.0% |
| 1981 | 54.99 | -0.9% |
| 1982 | 54.36 | -1.1% |
| 1983 | 53.67 | -1.3% |
| 1984 | 52.88 | -1.5% |
| 1985 | 52 | -1.7% |
| 1986 | 51.15 | -1.6% |
| 1987 | 50.42 | -1.4% |
| 1988 | 49.67 | -1.5% |
| 1989 | 48.88 | -1.6% |
| 1990 | 48.2 | -1.4% |
| 1991 | 47.44 | -1.6% |
| 1992 | 46.97 | -1.0% |
| 1993 | 46.68 | -0.6% |
| 1994 | 46.34 | -0.7% |
| 1995 | 46.05 | -0.6% |
| 1996 | 45.76 | -0.6% |
| 1997 | 45.74 | -0.0% |
| 1998 | 45.71 | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 45.92 | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 46.58 | +1.4% |
| 2001 | 47.41 | +1.8% |
| 2002 | 48.46 | +2.2% |
| 2003 | 49.62 | +2.4% |
| 2004 | 50.54 | +1.9% |
| 2005 | 51.61 | +2.1% |
| 2006 | 52.69 | +2.1% |
| 2007 | 53.73 | +2.0% |
| 2008 | 54.84 | +2.1% |
| 2009 | 55.89 | +1.9% |
| 2010 | 56.9 | +1.8% |
| 2011 | 57.84 | +1.7% |
| 2012 | 58.7 | +1.5% |
| 2013 | 59.45 | +1.3% |
| 2014 | 60.11 | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 60.73 | +1.0% |
| 2016 | 61.13 | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 61.56 | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 62.14 | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 62.91 | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 63.36 | +0.7% |
| 2021 | 62.36 | -1.6% |
| 2022 | 65.28 | +4.7% |
| 2023 | 66.35 | +1.6% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 66.35 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 67.65, 98% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 66.35 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 64.1, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 48.54 | 46.8 | 50.29 | 10 |
| 1960s | 51.84 | 50.65 | 53.04 | 10 |
| 1970s | 55.25 | 53.4 | 56.33 | 10 |
| 1980s | 52.35 | 48.88 | 55.5 | 10 |
| 1990s | 46.48 | 45.71 | 48.2 | 10 |
| 2000s | 51.14 | 46.58 | 55.89 | 10 |
| 2010s | 60.15 | 56.9 | 62.91 | 10 |
| 2020s | 64.34 | 62.36 | 66.35 | 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 in Zambia?
- Life expectancy in Zambia was 66.35 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest life expectancy recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 66.35 in 2023.
- What is the lowest life expectancy recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 45.71 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 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).