Demographics of Zambia

This article is about the demographic features of the population of Zambia, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and others aspects of the population.

Zambia population pyramid in 2020
Zambia's population (1890-2021).

Ethnic groups

Zambia is one of the most highly urbanised countries in sub-Saharan Africa with 44% of the population concentrated in a few urban areas along the major transport corridors, while rural areas are sparsely populated. Zambia's population comprises more than 72 Bantu-speaking ethnic groups. Some ethnic groups are small, and only two have enough people to constitute at least 10% of the population. The majority of Zambians are subsistence farmers, but the country is also fairly urbanised, with 42% of the population being city residents. The predominant religion is a blend of traditional beliefs and Christianity.[1]

Immigrants, mostly British or South African, as well as some white Zambian citizens (about 40,000), live mainly in Lusaka and in the Copperbelt in northern Zambia, where they are either employed in mines, financial and related activities or retired. Zambia also has a small but economically important Asian population, most of whom are Indians or Chinese.[2]

2010 census
Groups Percentage
African 99.2%
Bemba 21%
Tonga 13.6%
Chewa 7.4%
Lozi 5.7%
Nsenga 5.3%
Tumbuka 4.4%
Ngoni 4%
Lala 3.1%
Kaonde 2.9%
Namwanga 2.8%
Lunda (North-western) 2.6%
Mambwe 2.5%
Luvale 2.2%
Lamba 2.1%
Ushi 1.9%
Lenje 1.6%
Bisa 1.6%
Mbunda 1.2%
Other 13.8%
Unspecified 0.4%

Source:[3]

Population

According to the 2019 revision of the World Population Prospects[4][5] the total population of Zambia is 17,351,708 in 2018, compared to only 2,340,000 in 1950. The proportion of children below the age of 15 in 2010 was 46.4%, 50.6% was between 15 and 65 years of age, while 3.1% was 65 years or older.[6]

Total population[7] Population aged 0–14 (%) Population aged 15–64 (%) Population aged 65+ (%)
1950 2 340 00044.952.32.7
1955 2 653 00044.752.72.6
1960 3 045 00044.952.62.5
1965 3 537 00045.252.22.6
1970 4 139 00046.450.92.7
1975 4 900 00047.050.32.7
1980 5 775 00047.349.92.8
1985 6 785 00046.650.62.8
1990 7 860 00045.851.42.8
1995 8 919 00045.351.82.9
2000 10 202 00045.351.82.9
2005 11 462 00045.951.03.0
2010 13 089 00046.450.63.1
2018 17,351,708

Population Estimates by Sex and Age Group (01.VII.2020): [8]

Age Group Male Female Total %
Total 8 852 174 9 033 248 17 885 422 100
0–4 1 579 231 1 554 009 3 133 240 17.52
5–9 1 357 442 1 343 776 2 701 218 15.10
10–14 1 160 256 1 154 409 2 314 665 12.94
15–19 958 687 954 923 1 913 610 10.70
20–24 833 604 851 421 1 685 025 9.42
25–29 693 050 727 248 1 420 298 7.94
30–34 496 336 579 946 1 076 282 6.02
35–39 433 030 493 825 926 855 5.18
40–44 361 566 362 160 723 726 4.05
45–49 298 359 283 452 581 811 3.25
50–54 205 799 193 301 399 100 2.23
55–59 153 109 160 905 314 014 1.76
60–64 109 330 123 190 232 520 1.30
65-69 72 624 79 062 151 686 0.85
70-74 54 288 68 013 122 301 0.68
75-79 35 056 44 637 79 693 0.45
80+ 50 407 58 971 109 378 0.61
Age group Male Female Total Percent
0–14 4 096 929 4 052 194 8 149 123 45.56
15–64 4 542 870 4 730 371 9 273 241 51.85
65+ 212 375 250 683 463 058 2.59

Vital statistics

Registration of vital events is in Zambia not complete. The Population Departement of the United Nations prepared the following estimates. [6]

Period Live births per year Deaths per year Natural change per year CBR* CDR* NC* TFR* IMR*
1950-1955117 00054 00063 00046.821.725.16.75148
1955-1960136 00057 00078 00047.620.127.56.90137
1960-1965160 00062 00098 00048.618.829.87.15127
1965-1970189 00068 000121 00049.317.731.67.40118
1970-1975219 00072 000147 00048.516.032.57.43107
1975-1980254 00079 000174 00047.514.932.67.38100
1980-1985283 00091 000192 00045.114.430.66.9599
1985-1990322 000113 000209 00044.015.428.66.66103
1990-1995365 000151 000214 00043.518.025.56.30107
1995-2000427 000187 000240 00044.619.625.16.20105
2000-2005480 000212 000269 00044.419.624.86.10103
2005-2010547 000204 000342 00044.516.727.96.2095
* CBR = crude birth rate (per 1000); CDR = crude death rate (per 1000); NC = natural change (per 1000); IMR = infant mortality rate per 1000 births; TFR = total fertility rate (number of children per woman)

Births and deaths[9]

Year Population Live births Deaths Natural increase Crude birth rate Crude death rate Rate of natural increase TFR
1980 5,661,801 37.0 7.2
1990 7,383,105 44.0 6.7
2000 9,337,425 36.0 6.0
2010 13,092,666 442,998 164,385 278,613 35.4 13.1 22.2 5.9

Fertility and births

Total Fertility Rate (TFR) (Wanted TFR) and Crude Birth Rate (CBR) :[10] [11]

Year CBR Total TFR (Wanted TFR) Total CBR Urban TFR (Wanted TFR) Urban CBR Rural TFR (Wanted TFR) Rural
1992 45 6.5 (5.4) 44 5.8 (4.7) 46 7.1 (6.2)
1996 45.2 6.08 (5.2) 43.7 5.08 (4.1) 46.1 6.86 (6.1)
2001-2002 43.3 5.9 (4.9) 36.7 4.3 (3.4) 47.0 6.9 (5.8)
2007 43.6 6.2 (5.2) 36.3 4.3 (3.6) 47.5 7.5 (6.3)
2013-2014 37.2 5.3 (4.5) 32.2 3.7 (3.3) 40.3 6.6 (5.6)
2018 35.3 4.7 (4.0) 30.9 3.4 (2.9) 38.4 5.8 (5.0)

Fertility data as of 2013-2014 (DHS Program):[12]

Province Total fertility rate Percentage of women age 15-49 currently pregnant Mean number of children ever born to women age 40-49
Central5.98.16.8
Copperbelt4.07.65.5
Eastern5.88.76.9
Luapula6.411.46.6
Lusaka3.77.75.1
Muchinga6.310.37.2
Northern6.610.47.6
North Western6.29.26.7
Southern6.29.26.9
Western5.68.16.0

Fertility rate by religion

At national level, the TFR was highest among women with no religious affiliation at 6.5. Among the women with religious affiliation Protestants had the highest TFR of 6.0, followed by Muslims with 5.9 and Catholics with 5.7.[13][14]

Religious Affiliation [15] Total fertility rate
Protestantism6.0
Catholicism5.7
Islam5.9
Hinduism2.0
Other religions5.8
Not religious6.5
Zambia (total)5.9

Life expectancy
Period Life expectancy in
Years[16]
1950–1955 42.07
1955–1960 44.13
1960–1965 46.08
1965–1970 47.83
1970–1975 50.16
1975–1980 51.47
1980–1985 50.31
1985–1990 46.74
1990–1995 43.79
1995–2000 43.53
2000–2005 46.86
2005–2010 52.93
2010–2015 59.73

Other demographic statistics

The following demographic statistics of Zambia in 2019 are from the World Population Review.[17]

  • One birth every 47 seconds
  • One death every 4 minutes
  • One net migrant every 65 minutes
  • Net gain of one person every 1 minutes

The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook, unless otherwise indicated.[18]

Population
16,445,079 (July 2018 est.)

Age structure
Population pyramid of Zambia in 2017
0-14 years: 45.95% (male 3,796,548 /female 3,759,624)
15-24 years: 20% (male 1,643,364 /female 1,645,713)
25-54 years: 28.79% (male 2,384,765 /female 2,349,877)
55-64 years: 2.95% (male 225,586 /female 260,252)
65 years and over: 2.31% (male 166,224 /female 213,126) (2018 est.)

Median age
total: 16.8 years. Country comparison to the world: 222nd
male: 16.7 years
female: 16.9 years (2018 est.)
total: 17.2 years
male: 17.1 years
female: 17.3 years (2010 est.)
total: 16.46 years
male: 16.26 years
female: 16.67 years (2005 est.)
total: 16.5 years
male: 16.4 years
female: 16.6 years (2002 est.)

Birth rate
41.1 births/1,000 population (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 6th

Death rate
12 deaths/1,000 population (2018 est.)

Total fertility rate
5.58 children born/woman (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 8th

Population growth rate
2.91% (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 10th

Mother's mean age at first birth
19.2 years (2013/14 est.)
note: median age at first birth among women 25-29

Net migration rate
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 100th

Contraceptive prevalence rate
49% (2013/14)

Dependency ratios
total dependency ratio: 91.9 (2015 est.)
youth dependency ratio: 87.1 (2015 est.)
elderly dependency ratio: 4.8 (2015 est.)
potential support ratio: 20.8 (2015 est.)

Population distribution
one of the highest levels of urbanization in Africa; high density in the central area, particularly around the cities of Lusaka, Ndola, Kitwe, and Mufulira

Urbanization
urban population: 43.5% of total population (2018)
rate of urbanization: 4.23% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)

Sex ratio
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2010 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
total population: 53 years
male: 51.4 years
female: 54.7 years (2018 est.)
total population: 52.7 years
male: 51.1 years
female: 54.4 years (2017 est.)
total population:37.24 years
male:37.08 years
female:37.41 years (2000 est.)

Nationality
noun:Zambian(s)
adjective:Zambian

Demographic profile

Zambia's mineral rich, youthful population consists primarily of Bantu-speaking people representing nearly 70 different ethnicities. Zambia's high fertility rate continues to drive rapid population growth, averaging almost 3 percent annually between 2000 and 2010. The country's total fertility rate has fallen by less than 1.5 children per woman during the last 30 years and still averages among the world's highest, almost 6 children per woman, largely because of the country's lack of access to family planning services, education for girls, and employment for women. Zambia also exhibits wide fertility disparities based on rural or urban location, education, and income. Poor, uneducated women from rural areas are more likely to marry young, to give birth early, and to have more children, viewing children as a sign of prestige and recognizing that not all of their children will live to adulthood.[18]

Religions
Main article: Religion in Zambia

[19]

Languages
Further information: Languages of Zambia
Bemba 33.4%, Nyanja 14.7%, Tonga 11.4%, Lozi 5.5%, Chewa 4.5%, Nsenga 2.9%, Tumbuka 2.5%, Lunda (North Western) 1.9%, Kaonde 1.8%, Lala 1.8%, Lamba 1.8%, English (official) 1.7%, Luvale 1.5%, Mambwe 1.3%, Namwanga 1.2%, Lenje 1.1%, Bisa 1%, other 9.7%, unspecified 0.2% (2010 est.)
note: Zambia is said to have over 70 languages, although many of these may be considered dialects; all of Zambia's major languages are members of the Bantu family

[19]

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 63.4%
male: 70.9%
female: 56% (2015 est.)

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24
total: 15.2%
male: 14.6%
female: 15.8% (2012 est.)

See also

References
  1. Inc, IBP (2016-04-18). Zambia Investment and Business Guide Volume 2 Business, Investment Opportunities and Incentives. Lulu.com. ISBN 978-1-57751-907-2.
  2. Larmer, Miles (2016-07-07). "At the Crossroads". Oxford Handbooks Online. doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199935369.013.20. ISBN 978-0-19-993536-9. Retrieved 2021-05-19.
  3. . CIA [=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/400.html =https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/400.html]. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help); Missing or empty |title= (help)
  4. ""World Population prospects – Population division"". population.un.org. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
  5. ""Overall total population" – World Population Prospects: The 2019 Revision" (xslx). population.un.org (custom data acquired via website). United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
  6. "2015 Revision of World Population Prospects". Esa.un.org. Archived from the original on 2011-05-06. Retrieved 2016-08-09.
  7. De Wulf, Martin. "Zambia 2015". Population Pyramids of the World from 1950 to 2100.
  8. "UNSD — Demographic and Social Statistics".
  9. "UNSD — Demographic and Social Statistics".
  10. "Cambodia - Demographic and Health Survey 2010". Microdata.worldbank.org. Retrieved 2016-08-09.
  11. "National Health Survey 1998" (PDF). Dhsprogram.com. Retrieved 2016-08-09.
  12. "Demographic and Health Survey 2013-14" (PDF). Dhsprogram.com. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  13. "Demographics of Zambia - demographics of zambia What i". ww.en.freejournal.info. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
  14. Mberu, Blessing U.; Reed, Holly E. (2014). "Understanding Subgroup Fertility Differentials in Nigeria". Population Review. 53 (2): 23–46. doi:10.1353/prv.2014.0006 (inactive 28 February 2022). ISSN 0032-471X. PMC 4326038. PMID 25684828.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of February 2022 (link)
  15. https://www.zamstats.gov.zm/phocadownload/2010_Census/2010%20Census%20of%20Population%20National%20Analytical%20Report.pdf
  16. "World Population Prospects - Population Division - United Nations". esa.un.org. Retrieved 2018-08-26.
  17. "Zambia Population 2019", World Population Review, June 6, 2018
  18. Zambia: People, CIA World Factbook, 2018 This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  19. "Africa :: ZAMBIA". CIA The World Factbook. 19 April 2022.
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