Fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception in Zambia
Zambia: Fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception was 4.04 births per woman in 2024. ▼ Falling
Fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception in Zambia, 1960–2024
Source: United Nations Population Division, national statistical offices, and Eurostat, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in births per woman.
Analysis
Zambia recorded 4.04 births per woman for fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 65 years on record.
The figure is down 1.6% on the previous year and down 17.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception in Zambia peaked at 7.42 births per woman in 1975 and was at its lowest, 4.04 births per woman, in 2024.
That places Zambia 25th out of 215 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 7.09 births per woman | 6.95 births per woman | 7.18 births per woman | 10 |
| 1970s | 7.32 births per woman | 7.22 births per woman | 7.42 births per woman | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.92 births per woman | 6.63 births per woman | 7.14 births per woman | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.25 births per woman | 6 births per woman | 6.57 births per woman | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.69 births per woman | 5.45 births per woman | 5.92 births per woman | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.86 births per woman | 4.42 births per woman | 5.36 births per woman | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.18 births per woman | 4.04 births per woman | 4.32 births per woman | 5 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 22 Equatorial Guinea 4.12 births per woman compare
- 23 Burkina Faso 4.11 births per woman compare
- 24 Congo 4.11 births per woman compare
- 26 Madagascar 3.91 births per woman compare
- 27 Ethiopia 3.91 births per woman compare
- 28 Gambia 3.91 births per woman compare
More population data for Zambia
- Population growth rate, by level of development 0.5% (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 4.60 million people (2100)
- Population density 86.73 people per km² (2100)
- World population growth 0.5% (2100)
- Total fertility rate vs. wanted fertility rate 4.04 births per woman (2024)
- Refugees by country of asylum 79,275 people (2024)
- Total fertility rate vs. contraceptive prevalence 4.04 births per woman (2024)
- Natural population growth rate 2.8% (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 4.1 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate vs. GDP per capita 4.1 live births per woman (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception in Zambia?
- Fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception in Zambia was 4.04 births per woman in 2024, according to United Nations Population Division, national statistical offices, and Eurostat, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 7.42 births per woman in 1975.
- What is the lowest fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.04 births per woman in 2024.
- How does Zambia rank for fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception?
- Zambia ranks 25th out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
- Is fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Population Division, national statistical offices, and Eurostat, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The total fertility rate, in a given year. The unmet need for contraception shows the estimated share of married fertile women of reproductive age who do not want to become pregnant and are not using contraception.