Share of low birthweight babies born in Zambia

Zambia: Share of low birthweight babies born was 11.25 in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
11.25
Change on year
down 1.0%
World rank
67th
of 157 countries
All-time high
13.09
in 2000
All-time low
11.25
in 2020
Years of data
21
2000–2020

Share of low birthweight babies born in Zambia, 2000–2020

0510152000201020202000: 13.12001: 132002: 12.92003: 12.82004: 12.82005: 12.72006: 12.62007: 12.52008: 12.42009: 12.32010: 12.22011: 12.12012: 122013: 122014: 11.92015: 11.82016: 11.72017: 11.62018: 11.52019: 11.42020: 11.2

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2020, share of low birthweight babies born in Zambia stood at 11.25. That is the lowest value across all 21 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.0% on the previous year and down 7.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of low birthweight babies born in Zambia peaked at 13.09 in 2000 and was at its lowest, 11.25, in 2020.

That places Zambia 67th out of 157 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 21 years of available data.

Share of low birthweight babies born in Zambia, year by year

Annual values for Share of low birthweight babies born in Zambia, 2000 to 2020.
Year Value Change
2000 13.09
2001 13.02 -0.5%
2002 12.94 -0.6%
2003 12.85 -0.7%
2004 12.75 -0.7%
2005 12.66 -0.7%
2006 12.57 -0.7%
2007 12.47 -0.7%
2008 12.38 -0.7%
2009 12.3 -0.7%
2010 12.21 -0.7%
2011 12.13 -0.7%
2012 12.05 -0.7%
2013 11.97 -0.7%
2014 11.88 -0.7%
2015 11.78 -0.8%
2016 11.68 -0.9%
2017 11.57 -0.9%
2018 11.46 -0.9%
2019 11.36 -0.9%
2020 11.25 -1.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 12.7 12.3 13.09 10
2010s 11.81 11.36 12.21 10
2020s 11.25 11.25 11.25 1

Countries ranked near Zambia

  1. 64 Greece 11.41 compare
  2. 65 Bulgaria 11.36 compare
  3. 66 Japan 11.3 compare
  4. 68 Sao Tome and Principe 11.11 compare
  5. 69 Azerbaijan 11.04 compare
  6. 70 Colombia 10.95 compare

See the full ranking of 157 places →

More population data for Zambia

All data for Zambia →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of low birthweight babies born in Zambia?
Share of low birthweight babies born in Zambia was 11.25 in 2020, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of low birthweight babies born recorded in Zambia?
The highest recorded value was 13.09 in 2000.
What is the lowest share of low birthweight babies born recorded in Zambia?
The lowest recorded value was 11.25 in 2020.
How does Zambia rank for share of low birthweight babies born?
Zambia ranks 67th out of 157 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of low birthweight babies born rising or falling in Zambia?
Over the last ten years it is down 7.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Zambia data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Share of low birthweight babies born. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of low birthweight babies born in Zambia. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 August 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-low-birthweight-babies-born/zambia/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of low birthweight babies born
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
157 places, 3,297 data points, 2000–2020
Last refreshed