Fertility rate: births per woman in Zambia
Zambia: Fertility rate: births per woman was 4.1 live births per woman in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
4.1 live births per woman
Change on year
down 1.8%
World rank
25th
of 236 countries
All-time high
7.42 live births per woman
in 1975
All-time low
4.1 live births per woman
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Fertility rate: births per woman in Zambia, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in live births per woman.
Analysis
Zambia recorded 4.1 live births per woman for fertility rate: births per woman in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.8% on the previous year and down 18.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertility rate: births per woman in Zambia peaked at 7.42 live births per woman in 1975 and was at its lowest, 4.1 live births per woman, in 2023.
Zambia ranks 25th of 236 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Fertility rate: births per woman in Zambia, year by year
| Year | live births per woman | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 6.78 live births per woman | — |
| 1951 | 6.77 live births per woman | -0.2% |
| 1952 | 6.77 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 1953 | 6.79 live births per woman | +0.2% |
| 1954 | 6.79 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 1955 | 6.8 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 1956 | 6.81 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 1957 | 6.83 live births per woman | +0.3% |
| 1958 | 6.86 live births per woman | +0.5% |
| 1959 | 6.9 live births per woman | +0.6% |
| 1960 | 6.95 live births per woman | +0.6% |
| 1961 | 6.98 live births per woman | +0.5% |
| 1962 | 7.01 live births per woman | +0.4% |
| 1963 | 7.06 live births per woman | +0.7% |
| 1964 | 7.08 live births per woman | +0.4% |
| 1965 | 7.12 live births per woman | +0.4% |
| 1966 | 7.14 live births per woman | +0.3% |
| 1967 | 7.15 live births per woman | +0.2% |
| 1968 | 7.18 live births per woman | +0.4% |
| 1969 | 7.18 live births per woman | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 7.22 live births per woman | +0.6% |
| 1971 | 7.26 live births per woman | +0.5% |
| 1972 | 7.3 live births per woman | +0.6% |
| 1973 | 7.34 live births per woman | +0.5% |
| 1974 | 7.36 live births per woman | +0.3% |
| 1975 | 7.42 live births per woman | +0.8% |
| 1976 | 7.39 live births per woman | -0.4% |
| 1977 | 7.35 live births per woman | -0.5% |
| 1978 | 7.29 live births per woman | -0.8% |
| 1979 | 7.22 live births per woman | -1.0% |
| 1980 | 7.14 live births per woman | -1.1% |
| 1981 | 7.07 live births per woman | -0.9% |
| 1982 | 7.04 live births per woman | -0.5% |
| 1983 | 7.01 live births per woman | -0.5% |
| 1984 | 6.97 live births per woman | -0.5% |
| 1985 | 6.93 live births per woman | -0.7% |
| 1986 | 6.87 live births per woman | -0.9% |
| 1987 | 6.8 live births per woman | -1.0% |
| 1988 | 6.7 live births per woman | -1.4% |
| 1989 | 6.63 live births per woman | -1.0% |
| 1990 | 6.57 live births per woman | -1.0% |
| 1991 | 6.46 live births per woman | -1.7% |
| 1992 | 6.35 live births per woman | -1.7% |
| 1993 | 6.3 live births per woman | -0.8% |
| 1994 | 6.26 live births per woman | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 6.23 live births per woman | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 6.18 live births per woman | -0.8% |
| 1997 | 6.12 live births per woman | -0.9% |
| 1998 | 6.07 live births per woman | -0.9% |
| 1999 | 6 live births per woman | -1.1% |
| 2000 | 5.92 live births per woman | -1.3% |
| 2001 | 5.85 live births per woman | -1.2% |
| 2002 | 5.77 live births per woman | -1.3% |
| 2003 | 5.71 live births per woman | -1.1% |
| 2004 | 5.7 live births per woman | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 5.7 live births per woman | -0.0% |
| 2006 | 5.68 live births per woman | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 5.61 live births per woman | -1.2% |
| 2008 | 5.53 live births per woman | -1.5% |
| 2009 | 5.45 live births per woman | -1.4% |
| 2010 | 5.36 live births per woman | -1.7% |
| 2011 | 5.26 live births per woman | -1.9% |
| 2012 | 5.14 live births per woman | -2.3% |
| 2013 | 5.01 live births per woman | -2.4% |
| 2014 | 4.89 live births per woman | -2.5% |
| 2015 | 4.78 live births per woman | -2.4% |
| 2016 | 4.67 live births per woman | -2.2% |
| 2017 | 4.57 live births per woman | -2.2% |
| 2018 | 4.49 live births per woman | -1.6% |
| 2019 | 4.42 live births per woman | -1.6% |
| 2020 | 4.32 live births per woman | -2.2% |
| 2021 | 4.25 live births per woman | -1.8% |
| 2022 | 4.17 live births per woman | -1.7% |
| 2023 | 4.1 live births per woman | -1.8% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 4.1 live births per woman is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 3.15 live births per woman, 1.3× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 4.1 live births per woman is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4 live births per woman, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 6.81 live births per woman | 6.77 live births per woman | 6.9 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1960s | 7.09 live births per woman | 6.95 live births per woman | 7.18 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1970s | 7.32 live births per woman | 7.22 live births per woman | 7.42 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.92 live births per woman | 6.63 live births per woman | 7.14 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.25 live births per woman | 6 live births per woman | 6.57 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.69 live births per woman | 5.45 live births per woman | 5.92 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.86 live births per woman | 4.42 live births per woman | 5.36 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.21 live births per woman | 4.1 live births per woman | 4.32 live births per woman | 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 fertility rate: births per woman in Zambia?
- Fertility rate: births per woman in Zambia was 4.1 live births per woman in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fertility rate: births per woman recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 7.42 live births per woman in 1975.
- What is the lowest fertility rate: births per woman recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.1 live births per woman in 2023.
- How does Zambia rank for fertility rate: births per woman?
- Zambia ranks 25th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is fertility rate: births per woman rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.2%. 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 Fertility rate: births per woman. 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
Total fertility rate: the average number of children a woman would have if she experienced the year's age-specific birth rates throughout her childbearing years.