Rural population, per capita in Zambia
Zambia: Rural population, per capita was 0.5408 units per person in 2025. ▼ Falling
Rural population, per capita in Zambia, 1960–2025
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in units per person.
Analysis
The most recent figure for rural population, per capita in Zambia is 0.5408 units per person, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.8% on the previous year and down 6.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population, per capita in Zambia peaked at 0.8278 units per person in 1960 and was at its lowest, 0.5408 units per person, in 2025.
Zambia ranks 58th of 216 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Rural population, per capita in Zambia, year by year
| Year | units per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 0.8278 units per person | — |
| 1961 | 0.8185 units per person | -1.1% |
| 1962 | 0.809 units per person | -1.2% |
| 1963 | 0.7992 units per person | -1.2% |
| 1964 | 0.7869 units per person | -1.5% |
| 1965 | 0.7714 units per person | -2.0% |
| 1966 | 0.7541 units per person | -2.2% |
| 1967 | 0.7364 units per person | -2.3% |
| 1968 | 0.7198 units per person | -2.3% |
| 1969 | 0.7058 units per person | -1.9% |
| 1970 | 0.6935 units per person | -1.7% |
| 1971 | 0.6809 units per person | -1.8% |
| 1972 | 0.6681 units per person | -1.9% |
| 1973 | 0.6556 units per person | -1.9% |
| 1974 | 0.6435 units per person | -1.8% |
| 1975 | 0.6323 units per person | -1.7% |
| 1976 | 0.6224 units per person | -1.6% |
| 1977 | 0.6139 units per person | -1.4% |
| 1978 | 0.6073 units per person | -1.1% |
| 1979 | 0.603 units per person | -0.7% |
| 1980 | 0.6011 units per person | -0.3% |
| 1981 | 0.6011 units per person | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 0.6013 units per person | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 0.6016 units per person | +0.1% |
| 1984 | 0.6021 units per person | +0.1% |
| 1985 | 0.6026 units per person | +0.1% |
| 1986 | 0.6032 units per person | +0.1% |
| 1987 | 0.6039 units per person | +0.1% |
| 1988 | 0.6047 units per person | +0.1% |
| 1989 | 0.6055 units per person | +0.1% |
| 1990 | 0.6064 units per person | +0.1% |
| 1991 | 0.6075 units per person | +0.2% |
| 1992 | 0.609 units per person | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 0.611 units per person | +0.3% |
| 1994 | 0.6133 units per person | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 0.616 units per person | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 0.6202 units per person | +0.7% |
| 1997 | 0.6262 units per person | +1.0% |
| 1998 | 0.6328 units per person | +1.0% |
| 1999 | 0.6383 units per person | +0.9% |
| 2000 | 0.6413 units per person | +0.5% |
| 2001 | 0.6412 units per person | -0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.6393 units per person | -0.3% |
| 2003 | 0.6361 units per person | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 0.632 units per person | -0.7% |
| 2005 | 0.627 units per person | -0.8% |
| 2006 | 0.6216 units per person | -0.9% |
| 2007 | 0.616 units per person | -0.9% |
| 2008 | 0.6104 units per person | -0.9% |
| 2009 | 0.6051 units per person | -0.9% |
| 2010 | 0.6004 units per person | -0.8% |
| 2011 | 0.5963 units per person | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 0.5923 units per person | -0.7% |
| 2013 | 0.5883 units per person | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 0.5844 units per person | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 0.5804 units per person | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 0.5766 units per person | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 0.5727 units per person | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 0.5689 units per person | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 0.5651 units per person | -0.7% |
| 2020 | 0.5614 units per person | -0.7% |
| 2021 | 0.5576 units per person | -0.7% |
| 2022 | 0.554 units per person | -0.7% |
| 2023 | 0.5497 units per person | -0.8% |
| 2024 | 0.5453 units per person | -0.8% |
| 2025 | 0.5408 units per person | -0.8% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 0.5408 units per person is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.4913 units per person, 1.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 0.5408 units per person is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.5511 units per person, 98% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.7729 units per person | 0.7058 units per person | 0.8278 units per person | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.642 units per person | 0.603 units per person | 0.6935 units per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.6027 units per person | 0.6011 units per person | 0.6055 units per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.6181 units per person | 0.6064 units per person | 0.6383 units per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.627 units per person | 0.6051 units per person | 0.6413 units per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.5825 units per person | 0.5651 units per person | 0.6004 units per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.5515 units per person | 0.5408 units per person | 0.5614 units per person | 6 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 55 Lesotho 0.5533 units per person compare
- 56 Democratic Republic of Congo 0.5489 units per person compare
- 57 Seychelles 0.5452 units per person compare
- 59 Sierra Leone 0.5407 units per person compare
- 60 Guinea-Bissau 0.5335 units per person compare
- 61 Turkmenistan 0.5289 units per person compare
More agriculture & rural data for Zambia
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 65.37 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0411 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 54.11 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.97 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0004 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 4.1% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 4.1% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.4% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.7% (2024)
- Rural population 54.1% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population, per capita in Zambia?
- Rural population, per capita in Zambia was 0.5408 units per person in 2025, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest rural population, per capita recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 0.8278 units per person in 1960.
- What is the lowest rural population, per capita recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.5408 units per person in 2025.
- How does Zambia rank for rural population, per capita?
- Zambia ranks 58th out of 216 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population, per capita rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Rural population, per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
Rural population divided by Population, total, matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
Rural population ÷ Population, total
Computed from
- Rural population World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN)
- Population, total World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN)
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
Rural population divided by Population, total, matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.