Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index in Zambia
Zambia: Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index was 0.361 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index in Zambia, 2010–2023
Source: UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2023, inequality-adjusted human development index in Zambia stood at 0.361. That is the highest value across all 14 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.4% on the previous year and up 5.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, inequality-adjusted human development index in Zambia peaked at 0.361 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.322, in 2010.
Zambia ranks 138th of 166 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 14 years of available data.
Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index in Zambia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 0.322 | — |
| 2011 | 0.327 | +1.6% |
| 2012 | 0.336 | +2.8% |
| 2013 | 0.343 | +2.1% |
| 2014 | 0.345 | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 0.334 | -3.2% |
| 2016 | 0.334 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 0.338 | +1.2% |
| 2018 | 0.344 | +1.8% |
| 2019 | 0.346 | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 0.348 | +0.6% |
| 2021 | 0.345 | -0.9% |
| 2022 | 0.356 | +3.2% |
| 2023 | 0.361 | +1.4% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 0.361 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.438, 82% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 0.361 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.36, 1.0× the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 0.3369 | 0.322 | 0.346 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.3525 | 0.345 | 0.361 | 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 inequality-adjusted human development index in Zambia?
- Inequality-adjusted human development index in Zambia was 0.361 in 2023, according to UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest inequality-adjusted human development index recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 0.361 in 2023.
- What is the lowest inequality-adjusted human development index recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.322 in 2010.
- How does Zambia rank for inequality-adjusted human development index?
- Zambia ranks 138th out of 166 countries with data for 2023.
- Is inequality-adjusted human development index rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index (IHDI) is a summary measure of key dimensions of human development: a long and healthy life, a good education, and a decent standard of living, adjusted for inequalities in these dimensions. Higher values indicate higher and more equal human development.