Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling in Zambia
Zambia: Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling was 4.04 live births per woman in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
4.04 live births per woman
Change on year
down 1.6%
World rank
26th
of 236 countries
All-time high
7.42 live births per woman
in 1975
All-time low
4.04 live births per woman
in 2024
Years of data
75
1950–2024
Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling in Zambia, 1950–2024
Source: Human Fertility Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in live births per woman.
Analysis
The most recent figure for fertility rate vs. average years of schooling in Zambia is 4.04 live births per woman, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 75 years on record.
The figure is down 1.6% on the previous year and down 17.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertility rate vs. average years of schooling in Zambia peaked at 7.42 live births per woman in 1975 and was at its lowest, 4.04 live births per woman, in 2024.
That places Zambia 26th out of 236 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 75 years of available data.
Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling in Zambia, year by year
| Year | live births per woman | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 6.78 live births per woman | — |
| 1951 | 6.77 live births per woman | -0.2% |
| 1952 | 6.77 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 1953 | 6.79 live births per woman | +0.2% |
| 1954 | 6.79 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 1955 | 6.8 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 1956 | 6.81 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 1957 | 6.83 live births per woman | +0.3% |
| 1958 | 6.86 live births per woman | +0.5% |
| 1959 | 6.9 live births per woman | +0.6% |
| 1960 | 6.95 live births per woman | +0.6% |
| 1961 | 6.98 live births per woman | +0.5% |
| 1962 | 7.01 live births per woman | +0.4% |
| 1963 | 7.06 live births per woman | +0.7% |
| 1964 | 7.08 live births per woman | +0.4% |
| 1965 | 7.12 live births per woman | +0.4% |
| 1966 | 7.14 live births per woman | +0.3% |
| 1967 | 7.15 live births per woman | +0.2% |
| 1968 | 7.18 live births per woman | +0.4% |
| 1969 | 7.18 live births per woman | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 7.22 live births per woman | +0.6% |
| 1971 | 7.26 live births per woman | +0.5% |
| 1972 | 7.3 live births per woman | +0.6% |
| 1973 | 7.34 live births per woman | +0.5% |
| 1974 | 7.36 live births per woman | +0.3% |
| 1975 | 7.42 live births per woman | +0.8% |
| 1976 | 7.39 live births per woman | -0.4% |
| 1977 | 7.35 live births per woman | -0.5% |
| 1978 | 7.29 live births per woman | -0.8% |
| 1979 | 7.22 live births per woman | -1.0% |
| 1980 | 7.14 live births per woman | -1.1% |
| 1981 | 7.07 live births per woman | -0.9% |
| 1982 | 7.04 live births per woman | -0.5% |
| 1983 | 7.01 live births per woman | -0.5% |
| 1984 | 6.97 live births per woman | -0.5% |
| 1985 | 6.93 live births per woman | -0.7% |
| 1986 | 6.87 live births per woman | -0.9% |
| 1987 | 6.8 live births per woman | -1.0% |
| 1988 | 6.7 live births per woman | -1.4% |
| 1989 | 6.63 live births per woman | -1.0% |
| 1990 | 6.57 live births per woman | -1.0% |
| 1991 | 6.46 live births per woman | -1.7% |
| 1992 | 6.35 live births per woman | -1.7% |
| 1993 | 6.3 live births per woman | -0.8% |
| 1994 | 6.26 live births per woman | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 6.23 live births per woman | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 6.18 live births per woman | -0.8% |
| 1997 | 6.12 live births per woman | -0.9% |
| 1998 | 6.07 live births per woman | -0.9% |
| 1999 | 6 live births per woman | -1.1% |
| 2000 | 5.92 live births per woman | -1.3% |
| 2001 | 5.85 live births per woman | -1.2% |
| 2002 | 5.77 live births per woman | -1.3% |
| 2003 | 5.71 live births per woman | -1.1% |
| 2004 | 5.7 live births per woman | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 5.7 live births per woman | -0.0% |
| 2006 | 5.68 live births per woman | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 5.61 live births per woman | -1.2% |
| 2008 | 5.53 live births per woman | -1.5% |
| 2009 | 5.45 live births per woman | -1.4% |
| 2010 | 5.36 live births per woman | -1.7% |
| 2011 | 5.26 live births per woman | -1.9% |
| 2012 | 5.14 live births per woman | -2.3% |
| 2013 | 5.01 live births per woman | -2.4% |
| 2014 | 4.89 live births per woman | -2.5% |
| 2015 | 4.78 live births per woman | -2.4% |
| 2016 | 4.67 live births per woman | -2.2% |
| 2017 | 4.57 live births per woman | -2.2% |
| 2018 | 4.49 live births per woman | -1.6% |
| 2019 | 4.42 live births per woman | -1.6% |
| 2020 | 4.32 live births per woman | -2.2% |
| 2021 | 4.25 live births per woman | -1.8% |
| 2022 | 4.17 live births per woman | -1.7% |
| 2023 | 4.1 live births per woman | -1.8% |
| 2024 | 4.04 live births per woman | -1.6% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 4.04 live births per woman is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 3.12 live births per woman, 1.3× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 4.04 live births per woman is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3.91 live births per woman, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 6.81 live births per woman | 6.77 live births per woman | 6.9 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1960s | 7.09 live births per woman | 6.95 live births per woman | 7.18 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1970s | 7.32 live births per woman | 7.22 live births per woman | 7.42 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.92 live births per woman | 6.63 live births per woman | 7.14 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.25 live births per woman | 6 live births per woman | 6.57 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.69 live births per woman | 5.45 live births per woman | 5.92 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.86 live births per woman | 4.42 live births per woman | 5.36 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.18 live births per woman | 4.04 live births per woman | 4.32 live births per woman | 5 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 23 Equatorial Guinea 4.12 live births per woman compare
- 24 Burkina Faso 4.11 live births per woman compare
- 25 Congo 4.11 live births per woman compare
- 27 Madagascar 3.91 live births per woman compare
- 28 Ethiopia 3.91 live births per woman compare
- 29 Gambia 3.91 live births per woman compare
More education data for Zambia
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 42,585 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 169,961 (2013)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.39 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.49 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.55 % change on previous year (2017)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.2106 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 4.49 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fertility rate vs. average years of schooling in Zambia?
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling in Zambia was 4.04 live births per woman in 2024, according to Human Fertility Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fertility rate vs. average years of schooling recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 7.42 live births per woman in 1975.
- What is the lowest fertility rate vs. average years of schooling recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.04 live births per woman in 2024.
- How does Zambia rank for fertility rate vs. average years of schooling?
- Zambia ranks 26th out of 236 countries with data for 2024.
- Is fertility rate vs. average years of schooling rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from Human Fertility Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 75 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Average number of live births a hypothetical cohort of women would have at the end of their reproductive period if they were subject during their whole lives to the fertility rates of a given period and if they were not subject to mortality.