Zambia Population

Zambia has high fertility and a young, fast-growing population centred on its copper-mining economy. Birth rates are easing only gradually, so growth remains rapid from a broad base. Translating mineral wealth into opportunities for a swelling young population is the country's recurring challenge.

Zambia is home to about 22.2 million people in 2026, the 63rd largest population of any country. Set in Eastern Africa, its demographic path this century turns on the balance of births, deaths and migration. Population density stands at about 30 people for every square kilometre of land.

Zambia is projected to keep growing until about 2100, when its population peaks at roughly 64.3 million before a gradual decline sets in, leaving it near 64.3 million by 2100. It is projected to pass the 50 million mark around 2070.

Fertility is high, around 4.04 births per woman, the engine of rapid, sustained growth.

Half of Zambia is currently younger than about 18, but by 2100 the median age is projected to reach around 34, even as life expectancy improves from about 67 years. For now it remains one of the world's youngest populations, with a large generation about to reach working age. A rising median age means fewer working-age people supporting each retiree over time.

These figures follow the UN's medium variant, the most widely cited scenario. The low and high variants, driven mainly by differing fertility assumptions, fan out into a wide range by 2100, so treat each number as a central estimate rather than a precise forecast.