Page
last modified 20 August 2023
Zambia (formerly Northern Rhodesia)
Community
Area 752,612 square kilometres (land area 743,398 square
kilometres)
Population,
821,500 (1911)
983,800 (1921)
1,386,081 (1931)
1,700,000 (1946)
2,550,000 (1950)
3,070,000 (1960)
4,180,000 (1970)
5,852,000 (1980)
8,037,000 (1990)
10,416,000 (2000)
13,606,000 (2010)
15,880,000 (2015)
17,352,000 (2018)
Ethnicity and Religion, %
|
|
Black |
White |
Christian Protestant |
Christian R C |
Islam |
|
1946 |
98.7 |
1.3 |
|
|
|
|
1990 |
|
|
50.0 |
20.0 |
|
|
2010 |
98.2 |
1.1 |
75.3 |
20.2 |
0.5 |
Birth and death rates Below replacement rate = 2.1
|
|
Fertility Rate |
Birth Rate |
Infant Mortality |
Death Rate |
% Aged Under 15 |
% Aged Over 65 |
% Urban |
|
1950 |
|
50.0 (+24.0) |
159.0 |
26.0 |
44.9 |
|
13.0 |
|
1960 |
7.1 |
49.0 (+29.2) |
122.0 |
19.8 |
45.4 |
2.5 |
18.1 |
|
1970 |
7.4 |
49.0 (+32.2) |
108.0 |
16.8 |
47.2 |
2.6 |
30.4 |
|
1980 |
7.1 |
46.0 (+31.0) |
95.0 |
15.0 |
47.8 |
2.5 |
39.8 |
|
1990 |
6.4 |
45.0 (+27.0) |
109.0 |
18.0 |
46.9 |
2.5 |
39.0 |
|
2000 |
6.0 |
45.0 (+27.8) |
95.7 |
17.2 |
46.4 |
2.4 |
39.4 |
|
2010 |
5.4 |
40.4 (+30.3) |
53.6 |
10.1 |
46.8 |
2.1 |
38.7 |
|
2015 |
4.9 |
38.4 (+30.4) |
44.8 |
8.0 |
45.4 |
2.0 |
40.9 |
|
2016 |
|
|
43.8 |
|
45.1 |
|
41.4 |
|
2017 |
4.7 |
36.7 (+29.1) |
41.5 |
7.6 |
|
|
|
|
2018 |
|
|
40.4 |
|
44.9 |
2.1 |
|
Life
expectancy, decline from 1980 due to AIDS
37.8 (1952); 36.0 (M), 39.0 (F)
45.1 (1960); 43.6 (M), 46.7 (F)
49.0 (1970); 47.5 (M), 50.6 (F)
51.2 (1980); 49.4 (M), 53.1 (F)
45.0 (1990); 42.7 (M), 47.4 (F)
44.7 (2000); 43.0 (M), 46.4 (F)
56.5 (2010); 54.6 (M), 58.5 (F)
61.3 (2015); 58.9 (M), 63.9 (F)
63.8 (2020); 60.8 (M), 66.8 (F)
Population of principal cities, MA = Metropolitan Area
|
|
Kitwe |
LUSAKA1 |
Ndola |
|
1946 |
|
10,309 |
8,051 |
|
1950 |
150,000 |
|
|
|
1966 |
|
151,400 |
|
|
1970 |
|
225,000 |
120,000 |
|
1980 |
314,800 |
538,500 |
282,500 |
|
1990 |
495,000 |
950,000 |
475,000 |
|
2000 |
|
1,084,703 |
|
|
2009 |
|
1,328,000 |
|
|
2010 |
504,194 |
2,400,000 MA |
455,194 |
1Lusaka was the capital
of Northern Rhodesia (1935-1964) and of Zambia since 1964.
Wealth; Gross Domestic Product (nominal values)
|
|
GDP, US$ million |
Total GDP, % of USA |
GDP per capita, US$ |
GDP per capita % of USA |
|
1948 |
87 |
0.04 |
54 |
3.54 |
|
1960 |
713 |
0.13 |
234 |
7.78 |
|
1965 |
1,080 |
0.15 |
304 |
7.94 |
|
1970 |
1,825 |
0.18 |
437 |
8.33 |
|
1975 |
2,620 |
0.16 |
527 |
6.74 |
|
1980 |
3,890 |
0.14 |
667 |
5.29 |
|
1985 |
2,610 |
0.06 |
330 |
1.81 |
|
1990 |
3,740 |
0.06 |
410 |
1.71 |
|
1995 |
3,800 |
0.05 |
415 |
1.38 |
|
2000 |
3,600 |
0.04 |
340 |
0.93 |
|
2005 |
8,300 |
0.06 |
690 |
1.56 |
|
2010 |
20,265 |
0.14 |
1,460 |
3.02 |
|
2015 |
21,150 |
0.12 |
1,313 |
2.34 |
|
2016 |
19,550 |
0.11 |
1,180 |
2.05 |
GDP by primary sector
|
|
Agriculture % GDP |
Agriculture % employed |
Industry % GDP |
Industry % employed |
Services % GDP |
Services % employed |
|
1960 |
|
79.0 |
|
7.0 |
|
14.0 |
|
1980 |
14.0 |
67.0 |
18.3 |
2.2 |
|
|
|
1990 |
14.2 |
37.9 |
42.0 |
9.8 |
43.8 |
21.0 |
|
2000 |
25.2 |
|
26.1 |
|
51.7 |
|
|
2010 |
21.5 |
85.0 |
35.2 |
6.0 |
43.4 |
9.0 |
|
2016 |
5.4 |
|
35.7 |
|
60.0 |
|
Communications
Language, % Official;
English, Bantu dialects also spoken
|
|
Bemba |
Chewa |
English |
Lozi |
Nyanja |
Tonga |
|
1990 |
34.0 |
|
|
|
|
16.0 |
|
2000 |
30.1 |
|
1.7 |
5.7 |
16.1 |
10.6 |
|
2010 |
33.5 |
4.5 |
|
5.5 |
14.8 |
11.4 |
Literacy
29.0% (1960)
68.6% (1980); 79.3% (M), 58.3% (F)
78.0% (1995); 86.0% (M), 71.0% (F)
79.0% (2000); 85.8% (M), 72.7% (F)
Physical communications � roads and railways
|
|
Roads (km) |
Surfaced (km) |
Motor vehicles |
Cars |
Commercial Vehicles |
Railways (km) |
|
1938 |
9,550 |
|
|
|
|
1,001 |
|
1961 |
|
|
|
35,700 |
12,500 |
|
|
1964 |
|
|
52,800 |
|
|
|
|
1969 |
|
|
|
|
|
1,005 |
|
1980 |
|
5,000 |
|
|
|
1,297 |
|
1986 |
37,359 |
6,425 |
155,000 |
95,000 |
|
1,266 |
|
1996 |
|
6,476 |
157,000 |
|
|
1,273 |
|
2002 |
|
|
|
|
68,000 |
|
|
2005 |
40,454 |
9,403 |
367,000 |
|
|
1,273 |
|
2013 |
|
|
534,500 |
|
|
|
|
2014 |
|
|
|
|
|
1,266 |
Also Tan-Zam
(Tazara) rly in Zambia, opened 1975 = 992 km. (891
km, 1993)
Electronic communications, TV began 1961
|
|
Telephones (landlines) |
Mobile Telephones |
Radios |
Televisions |
PCs |
Internet Users |
|
1946 |
2,322 |
|
3,000 |
|
|
|
|
1961 |
|
|
49,000 |
|
|
|
|
1975 |
28,400 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1982 |
40,000 |
|
160,000 |
75,000 |
|
|
|
1986 |
|
|
528,000 |
100,000 |
|
|
|
1990 |
65,000 |
|
650,000 |
210,000 |
|
|
|
1995 |
|
1,547 |
800,000 |
260,000 |
|
|
|
1998 |
|
|
|
|
60,000 |
2,000 |
|
2000 |
83,300 |
98,850 |
1,510,000 |
|
70,000 |
20,000 |
|
2002 |
|
|
|
|
|
52,400 |
|
2003 |
|
|
|
726,000 |
|
|
|
2005 |
|
946,500 |
|
|
131,000 |
|
|
2008 |
90,600 |
|
|
|
|
700,000 |
|
2010 |
87,000 |
4,947,000 |
|
|
|
850,000 |
|
2012 |
86,000 |
10,500,000 |
|
|
|
1,900,000 |
|
2016 |
|
12,017,000 |
|
|
|
3,956,000 |
|
2017 |
|
|
|
|
|
5,192,000 |
Tourism: Visitors to Zambia,
200,000 (1984)
100,000 (1985)
141,000 (1990)
163,000 (1995)
457,000 (2000)
668,862 (2005)