Gender Inequality Index in Zambia
Zambia: Gender Inequality Index was 0.524 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Gender Inequality Index in Zambia, 1990–2023
Source: UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for gender inequality index in Zambia is 0.524, measured in 2023.
The figure is down 0.2% on the previous year and down 8.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gender inequality index in Zambia peaked at 0.691 in 1990 and was at its lowest, 0.521, in 2019.
Zambia ranks 29th of 169 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Gender Inequality Index in Zambia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 0.691 | — |
| 1991 | 0.667 | -3.5% |
| 1992 | 0.665 | -0.3% |
| 1993 | 0.662 | -0.5% |
| 1994 | 0.659 | -0.5% |
| 1995 | 0.655 | -0.6% |
| 1996 | 0.653 | -0.3% |
| 1997 | 0.65 | -0.5% |
| 1998 | 0.647 | -0.5% |
| 1999 | 0.65 | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 0.65 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 0.639 | -1.7% |
| 2002 | 0.623 | -2.5% |
| 2003 | 0.615 | -1.3% |
| 2004 | 0.613 | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 0.607 | -1.0% |
| 2006 | 0.596 | -1.8% |
| 2007 | 0.589 | -1.2% |
| 2008 | 0.591 | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 0.594 | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 0.579 | -2.5% |
| 2011 | 0.582 | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 0.58 | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 0.572 | -1.4% |
| 2014 | 0.569 | -0.5% |
| 2015 | 0.561 | -1.4% |
| 2016 | 0.536 | -4.5% |
| 2017 | 0.534 | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 0.529 | -0.9% |
| 2019 | 0.521 | -1.5% |
| 2020 | 0.523 | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 0.526 | +0.6% |
| 2022 | 0.525 | -0.2% |
| 2023 | 0.524 | -0.2% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 0.524 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.492, 1.1× the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 0.524 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.526, 100% of the median. (41 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.6599 | 0.647 | 0.691 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.6117 | 0.589 | 0.65 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.5563 | 0.521 | 0.582 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.5245 | 0.523 | 0.526 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
More poverty & inequality data for Zambia
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 1 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 4.1 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 2,344 kg per hectare (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate -4.62 % change on previous year (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 16.23 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 16.2% (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is gender inequality index in Zambia?
- Gender inequality index in Zambia was 0.524 in 2023, according to UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest gender inequality index recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 0.691 in 1990.
- What is the lowest gender inequality index recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.521 in 2019.
- How does Zambia rank for gender inequality index?
- Zambia ranks 29th out of 169 countries with data for 2023.
- Is gender inequality index rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Gender Inequality Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
This index captures gender-based disadvantage in reproductive health, empowerment and the labor market; ranges from 0 (full equality) to 1 (maximum inequality), representing the share of potential human development lost because of gender gaps.