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ZM

Zambia

ZM · ZMB · #38 · 10 cities

Nomad score 47/100 Compare

Key demographics

Population
20.2M
Density
26.1/km²
HDI
0.595 (Medium)
Gini index (2015)
57.1
Life expectancy (2024)
66.5 yrs
Fertility rate (2024)
4.04
Urban population (2025)
45.9%
Literacy rate (2024)
71.8%
Labor force (2025)
62.3%
Gender wage gap (2024)
-1.6%
Sources: REST Countries v4, World Bank, OWID

Population structure

0-14 youth (%) 41.0
15-64 working (%) 57.0
65+ elderly (%) 2.0
Dependency ratio
75.3%
Profile
Very Young
Urban population (2025)
45.9%
Birth rate (2024)
32.7 /1000
Death rate (2024)
5.2 /1000
Largest city (2025)
34.5%
Fertility rate (2024)
4.04
Infant mortality (2024)
34.6 /1000
Slum population (2022)
48.3%
Tourism (2020)
502.0K
Source: World Bank

Languages and culture

Languages
LanguageNative name
EnglishEnglish
Religions
ReligionPercentage
Christianity 95.5%
Islam 2.7%
Other 1.8%
Ethnicities
EthnicityPercentage
Bemba 19.0%
Tonga 13.6%
Tumbuka 7.5%
Chewa 6.0%
Lozi 5.7%
Nsenga 5.3%
Ngoni 3.0%
Lala 3.1%
Kaonde 3.9%
Namwanga 2.8%
Lunda (northern) 2.6%
Mambwe 2.5%
Luvale 2.2%
Lamba 2.4%
Ushi 1.9%
Bisa 1.6%
Lenje 1.6%
Mbunda 1.2%
Lunda (luapula) 0.9%
Senga 0.9%
Ila 0.8%
Lungu 0.8%
Tabwa 0.7%
Soli 0.7%
Kunda 0.7%
Ngumbo 0.6%
Chishinga 0.5%
Chokwe 0.5%
Nkoya 0.5%
Other ethnics 5.4%
Major racial 0.8%
Unclassified 0.4%
Demonym (male)
Zambian
Demonym (female)
Zambian
National anthem
Stand and Sing of Zambia, Proud and Free

Healthcare

Life expectancy (2024)
66.5 yrs
HALE (2021)
53.0 yrs
Health spending (2023)
6.0% of GDP
Infant mortality (2024)
34.6/1000
UHC index (2023)
62/100
Hospital beds (2010)
2.0/1000
Physicians (2022)
0.32/1000
Nurses (2022)
2.94/1000
Health spending per capita (2023)
$80
Out-of-pocket (2023)
10.3%
Source: World Bank, WHO

Education and technology

Literacy rate (2024)
71.8%
Education spending (2023)
4.1% of GDP
Learning outcomes (2020)
358
Internet users (2024)
17.1%
Mobile subscriptions (2024)
108.7/100
Broadband (2024)
0.8/100
Secure servers (2024)
81/1M
Source: World Bank, OWID

Broadband connectivity

Broadband per 100 (2024)
0.8
Source: ITU / World Bank via OWID. Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people.

Geography and practical

Area
752,612 km²
Capital
Lusaka
Continent
Africa
Region
Africa
Subregion
Eastern Africa
Landlocked
Yes
Driving side
Left
Timezones
UTC+02:00
Calling codes
+260
Postal code
#####
TLD
.zm

National symbols

Coat of Arms of Zambia
Flag
The flag of Zambia has a green field, on the fly side of which is a soaring orange African fish eagle above a rectangular area divided into three equal vertical bands of red, black and orange.
National anthem
Stand and Sing of Zambia, Proud and Free

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