Zambia
Country in Africa
CountryScope
In brief
Population: 21.9M (2025). World rank 61 of 216; in Africa, 22 of 54. Area: 752,612 km². World rank 40 of 249; in Africa, 17 of 59. GDP per person: $1,318 (2025). World rank 187 of 210 (1 = best); in Africa, 31 of 52. From 2015 to 2025: population 16.4M → 21.9M, GDP $21.3B → $28.9B, and GDP per person $1,296 → $1,318.
State
- Official name
- Republic of Zambia
- Local name
- Zambia
- Capital
- Lusaka
- Region
- Africa
- Form of government
- Presidential republic
- UN member
- Yes
- Head of state
- Hakainde Hichilema
- Head of government
- Edgar Lungu
- Independence
- October 24, 1964
- Women in parliament
- 15% 2025
Key figures
- Population
- 21,913,874 2025
- Area
- 752,612 km²
- GDP
- $28.9B 2025
- GDP per person
- $1,318 2025
- Life expectancy
- 66.5 years 2024
Practical information
- Languages
- English
- Currency
- Zambian Kwacha (ZMW)
- Time zones
- UTC+2
- Calling code
- +260
- Emergency numbers
- 112, 911, 999
- Driving side
- Left
- Plug types
- C, G
- Mains voltage
- 230 V
Territory
- Sea access
- Landlocked
- Coastline, km
- 0
- Neighbours
- Angola, Botswana, DR Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, Zimbabwe
- Agricultural land
- 32.1% 2024
Elevation
- Highest point
- Mafinga Central, 2,330 m
- Lowest point
- Zambezi River, 329 m
- Mean elevation, m
- 1,138
Climate
- Average temperature in the capital, °C
- 22
- Warmest month in the capital
- October, 27°C
- Coldest month in the capital
- July, 17°C
- Precipitation, mm per year
- 1,020 2022
Population and migration
- Population density
- 29.1 per km² 2025
- Population growth per year
- +2.8% 2025
- Living in cities
- 45.9% 2025
- Net migration per year
- +6.6K 2025
- Born in another country
- 1.2% 2024
Age and life expectancy
- Aged 0–14
- 41% 2025
- Aged 15–64
- 57% 2025
- Aged 65 and over
- 2% 2025
- Life expectancy, women
- 68.9 years 2024
- Life expectancy, men
- 64.1 years 2024
Births and deaths
- Children per woman
- 4 2024
- Births per 1,000 people
- 32.7 2024
- Deaths per 1,000 people
- 5.2 2024
Society
- Religions
- Protestant 75.3%, Catholic 20.2%, other 2.7%, and no religion 1.8% (2010)
Quality of governance (100 = best)
- Rule of law, score 0–100
- 50.5 2025
- Control of corruption, score 0–100
- 38.9 2025
- Government effectiveness, score 0–100
- 44.4 2025
- Regulatory quality, score 0–100
- 47.7 2025
- Voice and accountability, score 0–100
- 52.1 2025
Size and growth
- GDP per person at purchasing power parity
- $4,379 2025
- GDP growth per year
- +3.8% 2025
Income and prices
- Income level (World Bank)
- Lower-middle income
- Gross national income per person
- $1,200 2025
- Inflation
- +13.9% 2025
- Price level, USA = 100
- 30 2025
Structure and jobs
- Agriculture, share of GDP
- 4.1% 2025
- Industry, share of GDP
- 35.3% 2025
- Services, share of GDP
- 57% 2025
- Unemployment
- 5.9% 2025
- Youth unemployment, ages 15–24
- 10.5% 2025
- Women in work or seeking work
- 56.4% 2025
Trade and finance
- Exports, share of GDP
- 35% 2024
- Imports, share of GDP
- 27.6% 2024
- Current account balance, share of GDP
- -5.5% 2025
- Foreign direct investment, share of GDP
- +4.5% 2025
- Remittances received, share of GDP
- 1.4% 2025
- Tax revenue, share of GDP
- 18.8% 2024
Poverty and inequality
- Gini index (0 = full equality)
- 51.5 2022
- Living on under $3 a day
- 71.7% 2022
Education
- Adult literacy
- 71.8% 2024
- Primary school enrolment
- 116% 2024
- Secondary school enrolment
- 56.8% 2024
- Higher education enrolment
- 4% 2012
- Public spending on education, share of GDP
- 4.1% 2023
Healthcare
- Health spending, share of GDP
- 6% 2023
- Health spending per person
- $80 2023
- Out-of-pocket health spending, share of total
- 10.3% 2023
- Doctors per 1,000 people
- 0.3 2022
- Nurses and midwives per 1,000 people
- 2.9 2022
- Hospital beds per 1,000 people
- 2 2010
- Children vaccinated against measles
- 88% 2024
Public health
- Infant deaths per 1,000 births
- 34.6 2024
- Deaths under age 5 per 1,000 births
- 48.4 2024
- Maternal deaths per 100,000 births
- 85 2023
- HIV prevalence, ages 15–49
- 9.4% 2024
- Diabetes prevalence, ages 20–79
- 10.3% 2024
- Overweight adults
- 29.9% 2022
- Adults who use tobacco
- 14.3% 2024
Living conditions
- Access to safe drinking water
- 73.4% 2024
- Access to basic sanitation
- 37.5% 2024
- Access to clean cooking fuels
- 10% 2024
Safety
- Homicides per 100,000 people
- 5.2 2015
- Road deaths per 100,000 people
- 20.5 2019
- Suicides per 100,000 people
- 7.1 2021
- Political stability and absence of violence, score 0–100
- 64.6 2025
- Natural hazards
- tropical cyclones and droughts
Air and emissions
- Air pollution PM2.5, µg/m³
- 20.2 2023
- CO₂ emissions, tonnes per person
- 0.5 2024
- All greenhouse gases, tonnes CO₂e per person
- 1.8 2024
Nature and water
- Forest cover
- 60.5% 2024
- Protected areas
- 41.3% 2025
- Renewable fresh water, m³ per person
- 3,980 2022
- Water stress, share of fresh water withdrawn
- 2.8% 2022
Internet and communications
- Using the internet
- 17.1% 2024
- Mobile subscriptions per 100 people
- 109 2024
- Home broadband per 100 people
- 0.8 2024
- Internet domain
- .zm
Energy
- Access to electricity
- 53.6% 2024
- Electricity use, kWh per person
- 514 2024
- Renewable share of energy use
- 83% 2021
- Electricity from renewables
- 92% 2021
- Electricity from fossil fuels
- 19.9% 2024
Transport
- Air passengers per year
- 321,739 2023
- Airports
- 120 2025
- Railways, km
- 3,126 2014
Science and innovation
- Research spending, share of GDP
- 0.3% 2008
- Researchers per million people
- 42 2008
- Scientific articles per year
- 367 2023
- Patent applications by residents
- 18 2024
- High-tech share of manufactured exports
- 1.5% 2024