ZMB · ZM · United Nations WPP 2024 · 2026
Zambia
Zambia had a population of 22,521,915 people in 2026, ranking 63 of 237 countries and areas. Explore its age pyramid, trends and demographic indicators.
Source: United Nations World Population Prospects 2024, medium variant.
- Total population
- 22,521,915 people 2026 · Projection
- Rank
- #63/ 237 Africa #22 / 58
- Share of world population
- 0.27% 2026
- Density
- 30.3 people/km² 2026
- Median age
- 18.2 years
- Life expectancy
- 66.88 years
Country or area overview
Zambia is in Africa. In 2026, its population was 22,521,915 people, about 0.27% of the world total. It ranks #63 of 237 countries and areas worldwide. The population was 2,321,302 people in 1950 and is projected to reach 64,473,916 people in 2100. The annual population growth rate in 2026 is 2.72%. The median age is 18.2. 40.5% of the population is under 15 and 2.1% is 65 or older. Life expectancy is 66.88 and the total fertility rate is 3.91. Within Africa, it ranks #22 of 58 by population and #43 of 58 by population density. Data note This page uses the UN World Population Prospects 2024 medium variant. Data for 1950–2023 are estimates; 2024 onward, including 2026, are projections. Values for 2100 are long-range projections.
Zambia map
Country outline and its location in the world.
World location
Boundaries: Natural Earth 1:50m.
Population history and projection
Population from 1950 to 2100. The dashed section shows the UN medium-variant projection from 2024 onward.
Age group · 2026
Population age pyramid
Male and female population by five-year age group. Move the year slider to compare 1950, today and the 2100 projection.
Age-group data
| Age group | Male | Female | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–4 | 1,658,340 | 1,655,767 | 3,314,107 | 14.72% |
| 5–9 | 1,507,121 | 1,508,117 | 3,015,238 | 13.39% |
| 10–14 | 1,394,636 | 1,397,164 | 2,791,800 | 12.40% |
| 15–19 | 1,266,280 | 1,273,194 | 2,539,474 | 11.28% |
| 20–24 | 1,064,433 | 1,079,255 | 2,143,688 | 9.52% |
| 25–29 | 903,287 | 920,120 | 1,823,407 | 8.10% |
| 30–34 | 771,591 | 784,735 | 1,556,326 | 6.91% |
| 35–39 | 667,452 | 673,040 | 1,340,492 | 5.95% |
| 40–44 | 563,672 | 563,900 | 1,127,572 | 5.01% |
| 45–49 | 451,368 | 455,438 | 906,806 | 4.03% |
| 50–54 | 335,250 | 351,488 | 686,738 | 3.05% |
| 55–59 | 227,104 | 253,115 | 480,219 | 2.13% |
| 60–64 | 151,503 | 181,147 | 332,650 | 1.48% |
| 65–69 | 95,864 | 125,617 | 221,481 | 0.98% |
| 70–74 | 53,688 | 79,814 | 133,502 | 0.59% |
| 75–79 | 24,994 | 42,105 | 67,099 | 0.30% |
| 80–84 | 10,098 | 18,860 | 28,958 | 0.13% |
| 85–89 | 3,073 | 6,625 | 9,698 | 0.04% |
| 90–94 | 637 | 1,646 | 2,283 | 0.01% |
| 95–99 | 87 | 264 | 351 | 0.00% |
| 100+ | 7 | 26 | 33 | 0.00% |
Demographic indicators
UN WPP 2024 indicators for 2026.
| Indicator | 2026 | Projection for 2100 | Unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total population | 22,521,915 people | 64,473,916 people | people |
| Male population | 11,150,482 people | 31,579,013 people | people |
| Female population | 11,371,433 people | 32,894,904 people | people |
| Population density | 30.3 people/km² | 86.7 people/km² | people/km² |
| Sex ratio | 98.1 | 96.0 | males per 100 females |
| Median age | 18.2 | 34.4 | years |
| Natural change | 606,119 | 363,025 | people |
| Natural change rate | 26.91 ‰ | 5.63 ‰ | ‰ |
| Population change | 613,061 | 332,935 | people |
| Population growth rate | 2.72% | 0.52% | % |
| Population doubling time | 25.5 | 134.3 | years |
| Births | 721,060 people | 925,620 people | people |
| Births to women aged 15–19 | 145,739 | 95,708 | people |
| Birth rate | 32.02 ‰ | 14.36 ‰ | ‰ |
| Total fertility rate | 3.91 | 2.08 | children per woman |
| Net reproduction rate | 1.817 | 1.014 | |
| Mean age at childbearing | 28.33 | 28.99 | years |
| Sex ratio at birth | 101.1 | 101.2 | males per 100 females |
| Deaths | 114,941 people | 562,595 people | people |
| Male deaths | 63,241 | 293,407 | people |
| Female deaths | 51,700 | 269,188 | people |
| Death rate | 5.10 ‰ | 8.73 ‰ | ‰ |
| Life expectancy at birth | 66.88 | 77.32 | years |
| Male life expectancy at birth | 64.42 | 74.71 | years |
| Female life expectancy at birth | 69.27 | 79.93 | years |
| Life expectancy at age 15 | 55.80 | 63.49 | years |
| Life expectancy at age 65 | 12.92 | 17.57 | years |
| Life expectancy at age 80 | 5.34 | 7.91 | years |
| Infant deaths | 25,720 | 8,894 | people |
| Infant mortality rate | 35.75 ‰ | 9.61 ‰ | ‰ |
| Survivors to age 1 | 699,112 | 917,882 | people |
| Deaths under age 5 | 34,648 | 11,576 | people |
| Under-5 mortality rate | 48.68 ‰ | 12.49 ‰ | ‰ |
| Net migration | 6,939 | -30,090 | people |
| Net migration rate | 0.31 ‰ | -0.47 ‰ | ‰ |
Frequently asked questions
- What is the population of Zambia?
- In 2026, Zambia had a population of 22,521,915 people. It ranks #63 of 237 countries and areas worldwide.
- How has the population of Zambia changed?
- The population was 2,321,302 people in 1950 and is projected to reach 64,473,916 people in 2100.
- What is the age structure of Zambia?
- The median age is 18.2. 40.5% of the population is under 15 and 2.1% is 65 or older.
- How does Zambia compare within Africa?
- By total population, Zambia ranks #22 of 58 in Africa and #63 of 237 worldwide.
Estimates cover 1950–2023; 2024 and later are UN medium-variant projections. Rankings use the latest available value for the selected year. The world total is the sum of all countries and areas in the dataset.