Birth rate in Zambia
Zambia: Birth rate was 33.08 births per 1,000 people in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
33.08 births per 1,000 people
Change on year
down 1.4%
World rank
20th
of 236 countries
All-time high
50.11 births per 1,000 people
in 1950
All-time low
33.08 births per 1,000 people
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Birth rate in Zambia, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in births per 1,000 people.
Analysis
In 2023, birth rate in Zambia stood at 33.08 births per 1,000 people. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
The figure is down 1.4% on the previous year and down 15.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, birth rate in Zambia peaked at 50.11 births per 1,000 people in 1950 and was at its lowest, 33.08 births per 1,000 people, in 2023.
Zambia ranks 20th of 236 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Birth rate in Zambia, year by year
| Year | births per 1,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 50.11 births per 1,000 people | — |
| 1951 | 49.8 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1952 | 49.64 births per 1,000 people | -0.3% |
| 1953 | 49.5 births per 1,000 people | -0.3% |
| 1954 | 49.34 births per 1,000 people | -0.3% |
| 1955 | 49.17 births per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 1956 | 48.97 births per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 1957 | 48.9 births per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 1958 | 48.87 births per 1,000 people | -0.0% |
| 1959 | 48.9 births per 1,000 people | +0.1% |
| 1960 | 48.95 births per 1,000 people | +0.1% |
| 1961 | 48.92 births per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 1962 | 48.87 births per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 1963 | 48.94 births per 1,000 people | +0.1% |
| 1964 | 48.85 births per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 1965 | 48.84 births per 1,000 people | -0.0% |
| 1966 | 48.79 births per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 1967 | 48.8 births per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 48.91 births per 1,000 people | +0.2% |
| 1969 | 48.93 births per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 49.32 births per 1,000 people | +0.8% |
| 1971 | 49.44 births per 1,000 people | +0.2% |
| 1972 | 49.59 births per 1,000 people | +0.3% |
| 1973 | 49.68 births per 1,000 people | +0.2% |
| 1974 | 49.66 births per 1,000 people | -0.0% |
| 1975 | 49.95 births per 1,000 people | +0.6% |
| 1976 | 49.53 births per 1,000 people | -0.8% |
| 1977 | 49.23 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1978 | 48.7 births per 1,000 people | -1.1% |
| 1979 | 48.17 births per 1,000 people | -1.1% |
| 1980 | 47.52 births per 1,000 people | -1.4% |
| 1981 | 47.33 births per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 1982 | 47.29 births per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 1983 | 47.32 births per 1,000 people | +0.1% |
| 1984 | 47.31 births per 1,000 people | -0.0% |
| 1985 | 47.45 births per 1,000 people | +0.3% |
| 1986 | 47.4 births per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 1987 | 47.27 births per 1,000 people | -0.3% |
| 1988 | 47.1 births per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 1989 | 47.11 births per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 46.97 births per 1,000 people | -0.3% |
| 1991 | 46.86 births per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 1992 | 46.55 births per 1,000 people | -0.7% |
| 1993 | 46.63 births per 1,000 people | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 46.73 births per 1,000 people | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 46.76 births per 1,000 people | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 46.58 births per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 46.31 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1998 | 46.18 births per 1,000 people | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 45.9 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 2000 | 45.47 births per 1,000 people | -0.9% |
| 2001 | 44.77 births per 1,000 people | -1.5% |
| 2002 | 44.33 births per 1,000 people | -1.0% |
| 2003 | 43.95 births per 1,000 people | -0.9% |
| 2004 | 43.92 births per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 43.84 births per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 2006 | 43.68 births per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 2007 | 43.18 births per 1,000 people | -1.2% |
| 2008 | 42.63 births per 1,000 people | -1.3% |
| 2009 | 42.03 births per 1,000 people | -1.4% |
| 2010 | 41.39 births per 1,000 people | -1.5% |
| 2011 | 40.66 births per 1,000 people | -1.8% |
| 2012 | 39.86 births per 1,000 people | -2.0% |
| 2013 | 38.98 births per 1,000 people | -2.2% |
| 2014 | 38.11 births per 1,000 people | -2.2% |
| 2015 | 37.34 births per 1,000 people | -2.0% |
| 2016 | 36.62 births per 1,000 people | -1.9% |
| 2017 | 35.94 births per 1,000 people | -1.9% |
| 2018 | 35.46 births per 1,000 people | -1.3% |
| 2019 | 35.01 births per 1,000 people | -1.3% |
| 2020 | 34.41 births per 1,000 people | -1.7% |
| 2021 | 33.93 births per 1,000 people | -1.4% |
| 2022 | 33.54 births per 1,000 people | -1.1% |
| 2023 | 33.08 births per 1,000 people | -1.4% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 33.08 births per 1,000 people is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 25.89 births per 1,000 people, 1.3× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 33.08 births per 1,000 people is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 31.17 births per 1,000 people, 1.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 49.32 births per 1,000 people | 48.87 births per 1,000 people | 50.11 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1960s | 48.88 births per 1,000 people | 48.79 births per 1,000 people | 48.95 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 49.33 births per 1,000 people | 48.17 births per 1,000 people | 49.95 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 47.31 births per 1,000 people | 47.1 births per 1,000 people | 47.52 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 46.55 births per 1,000 people | 45.9 births per 1,000 people | 46.97 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 43.78 births per 1,000 people | 42.03 births per 1,000 people | 45.47 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 37.94 births per 1,000 people | 35.01 births per 1,000 people | 41.39 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 33.74 births per 1,000 people | 33.08 births per 1,000 people | 34.41 births per 1,000 people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
More population data for Zambia
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.5254 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate 0.2495 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate 0.5254 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate 0.5112 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 37,460 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 2.52 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.2967 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth 0.5% (2100)
- Population density 86.73 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 4.60 million people (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is birth rate in Zambia?
- Birth rate in Zambia was 33.08 births per 1,000 people in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest birth rate recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 50.11 births per 1,000 people in 1950.
- What is the lowest birth rate recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 33.08 births per 1,000 people in 2023.
- How does Zambia rank for birth rate?
- Zambia ranks 20th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is birth rate rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- 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 Birth rate. 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).
About this data
Number of live births in a year per 1,000 people in the population.