Zambia People - 2022
SOURCE: 2022 CIA WORLD FACTBOOK
Population
19,642,123 (2022 est.)
Nationality
noun: Zambian(s)
adjective: Zambian
Ethnic groups
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% (2010 est.)
Languages
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; Chewa and Nyanja are mutually intelligible dialects
Religions
Protestant 75.3%, Roman Catholic 20.2%, other 2.7% (includes Muslim Buddhist, Hindu, and Baha'i), none 1.8% (2010 est.)
Demographic profile
Zambia’s poor, 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. HIV/AIDS is prevalent in Zambia and contributes to its low life expectancy.
Zambian emigration is low compared to many other African countries and is comprised predominantly of the well-educated. The small amount of brain drain, however, has a major impact in Zambia because of its limited human capital and lack of educational infrastructure for developing skilled professionals in key fields. For example, Zambia has few schools for training doctors, nurses, and other health care workers. Its spending on education is low compared to other Sub-Saharan countries.
Age structure
0-14 years: 45.74% (male 4,005,134/female 3,964,969)
15-24 years: 20.03% (male 1,744,843/female 1,746,561)
25-54 years: 28.96% (male 2,539,697/female 2,506,724)
55-64 years: 3.01% (male 242,993/female 280,804)
65 years and over: 2.27% (male 173,582/female 221,316) (2020 est.)
Dependency ratios
total dependency ratio: 81.8
youth dependency ratio: 78.7
elderly dependency ratio: 3.2
potential support ratio: 31.6 (2021 est.)
Median age
total: 16.9 years
male: 16.7 years
female: 17 years (2020 est.)
Population growth rate
2.9% (2022 est.)
Birth rate
34.86 births/1,000 population (2022 est.)
Death rate
6.12 deaths/1,000 population (2022 est.)
Net migration rate
0.24 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2022 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 as shown in this population distribution map
Urbanization
urban population: 45.8% of total population (2022)
rate of urbanization: 4.15% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas - population
3.042 million LUSAKA (capital) (2022)
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.9 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2022 est.)
Mother's mean age at first birth
19.2 years (2018 est.)
note: data represents median age at first birth among women 20-49
Maternal mortality ratio
213 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)
Infant mortality rate
total: 37.11 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 40.57 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 33.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2022 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 66.26 years
male: 64.52 years
female: 68.06 years (2022 est.)
Total fertility rate
4.56 children born/woman (2022 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate
49.6% (2018)
Drinking water source
improved: urban: 90.2% of population
rural: 56.6% of population
total: 71.6% of population
unimproved: urban: 9.8% of population
rural: 43.4% of population
total: 28.4% of population (2020 est.)
Current health expenditure
5.3% of GDP (2019)
Physicians density
1.17 physicians/1,000 population (2018)
Hospital bed density
2 beds/1,000 population
Sanitation facility access
improved: urban: 76.3% of population
rural: 31.9% of population
total: 51.7% of population
unimproved: urban: 23.7% of population
rural: 68.1% of population
total: 48.3% of population (2020 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
10.8% (2021 est.)
Major infectious diseases
degree of risk: very high (2020)
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: malaria and dengue fever
water contact diseases: schistosomiasis
animal contact diseases: rabies
Obesity - adult prevalence rate
8.1% (2016)
Alcohol consumption per capita
total: 3.82 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
beer: 1.26 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine: 0.04 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits: 0.36 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
other alcohols: 2.16 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Tobacco use
total: 14.4% (2020 est.)
male: 25.1% (2020 est.)
female: 3.7% (2020 est.)
Children under the age of 5 years underweight
11.8% (2018/19)
Child marriage
women married by age 15: 5.2%
women married by age 18: 29%
men married by age 18: 2.8% (2018 est.)
Education expenditures
3.7% of GDP (2020)
Literacy
definition: age 15 and over can read and write English
total population: 86.7%
male: 90.6%
female: 83.1% (2018)
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)
total: 11%
male: 11.4%
female: 10.6% (2020 est.)
NOTE: The information regarding Zambia on this page is re-published from the 2022 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Zambia 2022 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Zambia 2022 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.
This page was last modified 01 Dec 23, Copyright © 23 ITA all rights reserved.