Capital

Sambia

name: Lusaka

geographic coordinates: 15 25 S, 28 17 E

time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

etymology: named after a village called Lusaka, located at Manda Hill, near where Zambia's National Assembly building currently stands; the village was named after a headman (chief) LUSAKASA

Citizenship

Sambia

citizenship by birth: only if at least one parent is a citizen of Zambia

citizenship by descent only: yes, if at least one parent was a citizen of Zambia

dual citizenship recognized: yes

residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years for those with an ancestor who was a citizen of Zambia, otherwise 10 years residency is required

Legal system

Sambia

mixed legal system of English common law and customary law

Suffrage

Sambia

18 years of age; universal

Area

Sambia

total: 752,618 sq km

land: 743,398 sq km

water: 9,220 sq km

Land use

Sambia

agricultural land: 31.7% (2018 est.)

arable land: 4.8% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 0% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 26.9% (2018 est.)

forest: 66.3% (2018 est.)

other: 2% (2018 est.)

Location

Sambia

Southern Africa, east of Angola, south of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Age structure

Sambia

0-14 years: 42.49% (male 4,334,425/female 4,255,464)

15-64 years: 54.77% (male 5,529,526/female 5,541,857)

65 years and over: 2.74% (2023 est.) (male 250,984/female 303,773)

Birth rate

Sambia

34.5 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate

Sambia

6 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Languages

Sambia

Bemba 33.4%, Nyanja 14.7%, Tonga 11.4%, Lozi 5.5%, Chewa 4.5%, Nsenga 2.9%, Tumbuka 2.5%, Lunda (North Western) 1.9%, Kaonde 1.8%, Lala 1.8%, Lamba 1.8%, English (official) 1.7%, Luvale 1.5%, Mambwe 1.3%, Namwanga 1.2%, Lenje 1.1%, Bisa 1%, other 9.7%, unspecified 0.2% (2010 est.)

note: Zambia is said to have over 70 languages, although many of these may be considered dialects; all of Zambia's major languages are members of the Bantu family; Chewa and Nyanja are mutually intelligible dialects

Life expectancy at birth

Sambia

total population: 66.6 years (2023 est.)

male: 64.9 years

female: 68.4 years

Major urban areas - population

Sambia

3.181 million LUSAKA (capital), 763,000 Kitwe (2023)

Median age

Sambia

total: 18.2 years (2023 est.)

male: 18 years

female: 18.4 years

Mother's mean age at first birth

Sambia

19.2 years (2018 est.)

note: data represents median age at first birth among women 20-49

Net migration rate

Sambia

0.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution

Sambia

one of the highest levels of urbanization in Africa; high density in the central area, particularly around the cities of Lusaka, Ndola, Kitwe, and Mufulira as shown in this population distribution map

Population growth rate

Sambia

2.86% (2023 est.)

Total fertility rate

Sambia

4.49 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Urbanization

Sambia

urban population: 46.3% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization: 4.15% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Education expenditures

Sambia

3.7% of GDP (2020)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

Sambia

-7.3% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Industrial production growth rate

Sambia

4.18% (2021 est.)

Labor force

Sambia

8.113 million (2021 est.)

Population below poverty line

Sambia

54.4% (2015 est.)

Unemployment rate

Sambia

13.03% (2021 est.)

12.85% (2020 est.)

12.52% (2019 est.)

Public debt

Sambia

103.7% of GDP (2020 est.)

61.93% of GDP (2019 est.)

59.71% of GDP (2018 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Sambia

22.02% (2021 est.)

15.73% (2020 est.)

9.15% (2019 est.)

Exports

Sambia

$11.716 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$8.558 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$8.258 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Exports - partners

Sambia

Switzerland 32%, China 14%, Namibia 12%, Democratic Republic of the Congo 9%, Singapore 8% (2020)

Imports

Sambia

$7.701 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$7.049 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$8.036 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Imports - partners

Sambia

South Africa 31%, China 16%, United Arab Emirates 9%, Democratic Republic of the Congo 6%, India 5% (2020)

Airports

Sambia

88 (2021)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

Sambia

total: 82,317 (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 0.5 (2020 est.)

Internet users

Sambia

total: 3.99 million (2021 est.)

percent of population: 21% (2021 est.)

Railways

Sambia

total: 3,126 km (2014)

narrow gauge: 3,126 km (2014) 1.067-m gauge

note: includes 1,860 km of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA)

Roadways

Sambia

total: 67,671 km (2018)

paved: 14,888 km (2018)

unpaved: 52,783 km (2018)

Telephones - fixed lines

Sambia

total subscriptions: 66,000 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: (2021 est.) less than 1

Telephones - mobile cellular

Sambia

total subscriptions: 20 million (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 100 (2021 est.)

Waterways

Sambia

2,250 km (2010) (includes Lake Tanganyika and the Zambezi and Luapula Rivers)

Disputes - international

Sambia

Zambia-Angola: because the straight-line segments along the left bank (Zambian side) of the Cuando/Kwando River do not conform with the physical alignment of the unstable shoreline, Zambian residents in some areas have settled illegally on sections of shoreline that fall on the Angolan side of the boundary

Zambia-Democratic Republic of Congo(DRC): boundary commission continues discussions over Congolese-administered triangle of land on the right bank of the Lunkinda River claimed by Zambia near the DRC village of Pweto

Zambia-Tanzania: some drug smuggling may take place across the Zambia-Tanzania border; there are no known current territorial issues, as both states have continued to recognize the colonial boundaries last modified in 1937; the boundary in Lake Tanganyika remains undefined.

Zambia-Zimbabwe: in 2004, Zimbabwe dropped objections to plans between Botswana and Zambia to build a bridge over the Zambezi River, thereby de facto recognizing a short, but not clearly delimited, Botswana-Zambia boundary in the river; in May 2021, Botswana and Zambia agreed in principle to let Zimbabwe be a partner in the bridge project as it enters its lasts phase