Population growth in Zambia
Zambia: Population growth was 2.8% in 2024. β² Rising
Latest (2024)
2.8%
Change on year
up 0.6%
World rank
21st
of 212 countries
All-time high
3.6%
in 2008
All-time low
2.4%
in 1993
Years of data
55
1970β2024
Population growth in Zambia, 1970β2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in annual %.
Analysis
Zambia recorded 2.8% for population growth in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.6% on the previous year and down 11.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population growth in Zambia peaked at 3.6% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 2.4%, in 1993.
That places Zambia 21st out of 212 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 55 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.9% | 2.8% | 3.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.0% | 2.6% | 3.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.5% | 2.4% | 2.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.3% | 2.8% | 3.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.2% | 3.0% | 3.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.8% | 2.8% | 2.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
More population data for Zambia
- Population growth rate by level of development 0.516 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 4.60 million (2100)
- Population density 86.73 (2100)
- Population growth rate 0.516 (2100)
- Fertility and wanted fertility 4.04 (2024)
- Refugee population by country or territory of asylum 79,275 (2024)
- Fertility vs unmet contraception 4.04 (2024)
- Fertility vs contraception 4.04 (2024)
- Natural population growth 2.79 (2023)
- Fertility rate with projections 4.1 (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population growth in Zambia?
- Population growth in Zambia was 2.8% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest population growth recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 3.6% in 2008.
- What is the lowest population growth recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.4% in 1993.
- How does Zambia rank for population growth?
- Zambia ranks 21st out of 212 countries with data for 2024.
- Is population growth rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV Β· JSON β 55 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release