Rural population in Zambia
Zambia: Rural population was 53.1% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Rural population in Zambia, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
Zambia recorded 53.1% for rural population in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 55 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.1% on the previous year and down 9.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Zambia peaked at 69.6% in 1970 and was at its lowest, 53.1%, in 2024.
Zambia ranks 60th of 214 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 55 years of available data.
Rural population in Zambia, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 69.6% | — |
| 1971 | 68.8% | -1.3% |
| 1972 | 67.9% | -1.3% |
| 1973 | 66.9% | -1.3% |
| 1974 | 66.0% | -1.4% |
| 1975 | 65.1% | -1.4% |
| 1976 | 64.1% | -1.5% |
| 1977 | 63.1% | -1.5% |
| 1978 | 62.2% | -1.5% |
| 1979 | 61.2% | -1.6% |
| 1980 | 60.2% | -1.6% |
| 1981 | 60.1% | -0.1% |
| 1982 | 60.2% | +0.1% |
| 1983 | 60.2% | +0.1% |
| 1984 | 60.3% | +0.1% |
| 1985 | 60.3% | +0.1% |
| 1986 | 60.4% | +0.1% |
| 1987 | 60.4% | +0.1% |
| 1988 | 60.5% | +0.1% |
| 1989 | 60.5% | +0.1% |
| 1990 | 60.6% | +0.1% |
| 1991 | 61.0% | +0.7% |
| 1992 | 61.5% | +0.8% |
| 1993 | 62.0% | +0.8% |
| 1994 | 62.4% | +0.8% |
| 1995 | 62.9% | +0.7% |
| 1996 | 63.4% | +0.7% |
| 1997 | 63.8% | +0.7% |
| 1998 | 64.3% | +0.7% |
| 1999 | 64.7% | +0.7% |
| 2000 | 65.2% | +0.7% |
| 2001 | 65.0% | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 64.5% | -0.7% |
| 2003 | 64.0% | -0.7% |
| 2004 | 63.6% | -0.7% |
| 2005 | 63.1% | -0.8% |
| 2006 | 62.6% | -0.8% |
| 2007 | 62.1% | -0.8% |
| 2008 | 61.6% | -0.8% |
| 2009 | 61.1% | -0.8% |
| 2010 | 60.6% | -0.8% |
| 2011 | 60.1% | -0.8% |
| 2012 | 59.6% | -0.8% |
| 2013 | 59.1% | -0.9% |
| 2014 | 58.6% | -0.9% |
| 2015 | 58.1% | -0.9% |
| 2016 | 57.6% | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 57.0% | -0.9% |
| 2018 | 56.5% | -1.0% |
| 2019 | 55.9% | -1.0% |
| 2020 | 55.4% | -1.0% |
| 2021 | 54.8% | -1.0% |
| 2022 | 54.2% | -1.0% |
| 2023 | 53.7% | -1.1% |
| 2024 | 53.1% | -1.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 65.5% | 61.2% | 69.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 60.3% | 60.1% | 60.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 62.7% | 60.6% | 64.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 63.3% | 61.1% | 65.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 58.3% | 55.9% | 60.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 54.2% | 53.1% | 55.4% | 5 |
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)
- Population growth rate 0.516 (2100)
- Population density 86.73 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 4.60 million (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in Zambia?
- Rural population in Zambia was 53.1% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 69.6% in 1970.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 53.1% in 2024.
- How does Zambia rank for rural population?
- Zambia ranks 60th out of 214 countries with data for 2024.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Rural population (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 55 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release