Birth rate in Zambia
Zambia: Birth rate was 33.08 births per 1,000 people in 2023. ▼ Falling
Birth rate in Zambia, 1950–2023
Source: Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in births per 1,000 people.
Analysis
Zambia recorded 33.08 births per 1,000 people for birth rate in 2023. 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.
That places Zambia 20th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
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 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)
- Fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception 4.04 births per woman (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)
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 Human Mortality Database (2025); 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 Human Mortality Database (2025); 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
The total number of births per 1,000 people in a given year.