Share of population living in rural areas in Zambia
Zambia: Share of population living in rural areas was 46.8% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Share of population living in rural areas in Zambia, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of population living in rural areas in Zambia is 46.8%, measured in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 15 years on record.
That represents a change of down 3.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in rural areas in Zambia peaked at 55.0% in 1950 and was at its lowest, 46.8%, in 2020.
That places Zambia 34th out of 236 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 15 years of available data.
Share of population living in rural areas in Zambia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 55.0% | — |
| 1955 | 54.1% | -1.6% |
| 1960 | 53.1% | -1.9% |
| 1965 | 51.9% | -2.2% |
| 1970 | 50.6% | -2.6% |
| 1975 | 49.6% | -2.0% |
| 1980 | 49.7% | +0.3% |
| 1985 | 51.2% | +2.9% |
| 1990 | 52.3% | +2.2% |
| 1995 | 52.1% | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 51.9% | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 49.9% | -3.7% |
| 2010 | 48.4% | -3.1% |
| 2015 | 47.3% | -2.3% |
| 2020 | 46.8% | -1.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 54.5% | 54.1% | 55.0% | 2 |
| 1960s | 52.5% | 51.9% | 53.1% | 2 |
| 1970s | 50.1% | 49.6% | 50.6% | 2 |
| 1980s | 50.4% | 49.7% | 51.2% | 2 |
| 1990s | 52.2% | 52.1% | 52.3% | 2 |
| 2000s | 50.9% | 49.9% | 51.9% | 2 |
| 2010s | 47.8% | 47.3% | 48.4% | 2 |
| 2020s | 46.8% | 46.8% | 46.8% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 31 Slovenia 49.7% compare
- 32 Bosnia and Herzegovina 48.8% compare
- 33 Chad 48.5% compare
- 35 Republic of Moldova 46.6% compare
- 36 Tanzania, United Republic of 46.5% compare
- 37 Slovakia 46.5% 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 share of population living in rural areas in Zambia?
- Share of population living in rural areas in Zambia was 46.8% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in rural areas recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 55.0% in 1950.
- What is the lowest share of population living in rural areas recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 46.8% in 2020.
- How does Zambia rank for share of population living in rural areas?
- Zambia ranks 34th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in rural areas rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Estimated share of the population living in rural areas. Rural areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.