Number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita in Zambia
Zambia: Number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita was 0.4592 people per person in 2025. ▲ Rising
Number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita in Zambia, 1960–2025
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in people per person.
Analysis
In 2025, number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita in Zambia stood at 0.4592 people per person. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.0% on the previous year and up 9.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita in Zambia peaked at 0.4592 people per person in 2025 and was at its lowest, 0.1722 people per person, in 1960.
That places Zambia 161st out of 215 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita in Zambia, year by year
| Year | people per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 0.1722 people per person | — |
| 1961 | 0.1815 people per person | +5.4% |
| 1962 | 0.191 people per person | +5.2% |
| 1963 | 0.2008 people per person | +5.1% |
| 1964 | 0.2131 people per person | +6.1% |
| 1965 | 0.2286 people per person | +7.3% |
| 1966 | 0.2459 people per person | +7.6% |
| 1967 | 0.2636 people per person | +7.2% |
| 1968 | 0.2802 people per person | +6.3% |
| 1969 | 0.2942 people per person | +5.0% |
| 1970 | 0.3065 people per person | +4.2% |
| 1971 | 0.3191 people per person | +4.1% |
| 1972 | 0.3319 people per person | +4.0% |
| 1973 | 0.3444 people per person | +3.8% |
| 1974 | 0.3565 people per person | +3.5% |
| 1975 | 0.3677 people per person | +3.1% |
| 1976 | 0.3776 people per person | +2.7% |
| 1977 | 0.3861 people per person | +2.2% |
| 1978 | 0.3927 people per person | +1.7% |
| 1979 | 0.397 people per person | +1.1% |
| 1980 | 0.3989 people per person | +0.5% |
| 1981 | 0.3989 people per person | -0.0% |
| 1982 | 0.3987 people per person | -0.0% |
| 1983 | 0.3984 people per person | -0.1% |
| 1984 | 0.3979 people per person | -0.1% |
| 1985 | 0.3974 people per person | -0.1% |
| 1986 | 0.3968 people per person | -0.2% |
| 1987 | 0.3961 people per person | -0.2% |
| 1988 | 0.3953 people per person | -0.2% |
| 1989 | 0.3945 people per person | -0.2% |
| 1990 | 0.3936 people per person | -0.2% |
| 1991 | 0.3925 people per person | -0.3% |
| 1992 | 0.391 people per person | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 0.389 people per person | -0.5% |
| 1994 | 0.3867 people per person | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 0.384 people per person | -0.7% |
| 1996 | 0.3798 people per person | -1.1% |
| 1997 | 0.3738 people per person | -1.6% |
| 1998 | 0.3672 people per person | -1.7% |
| 1999 | 0.3617 people per person | -1.5% |
| 2000 | 0.3587 people per person | -0.8% |
| 2001 | 0.3588 people per person | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.3607 people per person | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 0.3639 people per person | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 0.368 people per person | +1.1% |
| 2005 | 0.373 people per person | +1.3% |
| 2006 | 0.3784 people per person | +1.5% |
| 2007 | 0.384 people per person | +1.5% |
| 2008 | 0.3896 people per person | +1.5% |
| 2009 | 0.3949 people per person | +1.4% |
| 2010 | 0.3996 people per person | +1.2% |
| 2011 | 0.4037 people per person | +1.0% |
| 2012 | 0.4077 people per person | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 0.4117 people per person | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 0.4156 people per person | +1.0% |
| 2015 | 0.4196 people per person | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 0.4234 people per person | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 0.4273 people per person | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 0.4311 people per person | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 0.4349 people per person | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 0.4386 people per person | +0.9% |
| 2021 | 0.4424 people per person | +0.8% |
| 2022 | 0.446 people per person | +0.8% |
| 2023 | 0.4503 people per person | +1.0% |
| 2024 | 0.4547 people per person | +1.0% |
| 2025 | 0.4592 people per person | +1.0% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 0.4592 people per person is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.5087 people per person, 90% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 0.4592 people per person is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.4552 people per person, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.2271 people per person | 0.1722 people per person | 0.2942 people per person | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.358 people per person | 0.3065 people per person | 0.397 people per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.3973 people per person | 0.3945 people per person | 0.3989 people per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.3819 people per person | 0.3617 people per person | 0.3936 people per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.373 people per person | 0.3587 people per person | 0.3949 people per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.4175 people per person | 0.3996 people per person | 0.4349 people per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.4485 people per person | 0.4386 people per person | 0.4592 people per person | 6 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 158 Turkmenistan 0.4711 people per person compare
- 159 Guinea-Bissau 0.4665 people per person compare
- 160 Sierra Leone 0.4593 people per person compare
- 162 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 0.4511 people per person compare
- 163 Lesotho 0.4467 people per person compare
- 164 Central African Republic 0.4455 people per person compare
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 number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita in Zambia?
- Number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita in Zambia was 0.4592 people per person in 2025, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 0.4592 people per person in 2025.
- What is the lowest number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1722 people per person in 1960.
- How does Zambia rank for number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita?
- Zambia ranks 161st out of 215 countries with data for 2025.
- Is number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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How this figure is calculated
Number of people living in urban and rural areas divided by Population, total, matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
Number of people living in urban and rural areas ÷ Population, total
Computed from
- Number of people living in urban and rural areas United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
- Population, total World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN)
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
Number of people living in urban and rural areas divided by Population, total, matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.