Three metrics of inequality in Zambia
Zambia: Three metrics of inequality was 67.69 in 2022. ▲ Rising
Latest (2022)
67.69
World rank
11th
of 113 countries
All-time high
72.07
in 1991
All-time low
62.08
in 2002
Years of data
38
1929–2022
Three metrics of inequality in Zambia, 1929–2022
Source: World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2022, three metrics of inequality in Zambia stood at 67.69.
That represents a change of down 1.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, three metrics of inequality in Zambia peaked at 72.07 in 1991 and was at its lowest, 62.08, in 2002.
Zambia ranks 11th of 113 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 38 years of available data.
Three metrics of inequality in Zambia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1929 | 63.1 | — |
| 1930 | 64.02 | +1.5% |
| 1931 | 64.13 | +0.2% |
| 1932 | 64.08 | -0.1% |
| 1933 | 63.28 | -1.2% |
| 1934 | 63.63 | +0.6% |
| 1935 | 64.06 | +0.7% |
| 1936 | 63.45 | -1.0% |
| 1937 | 63.64 | +0.3% |
| 1943 | 65.16 | +2.4% |
| 1944 | 65.15 | -0.0% |
| 1945 | 64.82 | -0.5% |
| 1946 | 65.66 | +1.3% |
| 1947 | 65.37 | -0.4% |
| 1948 | 65.03 | -0.5% |
| 1949 | 64.99 | -0.1% |
| 1950 | 64.78 | -0.3% |
| 1951 | 64.78 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 65.54 | +1.2% |
| 1953 | 65.34 | -0.3% |
| 1954 | 65.91 | +0.9% |
| 1955 | 66.57 | +1.0% |
| 1956 | 66.49 | -0.1% |
| 1957 | 67.22 | +1.1% |
| 1958 | 67.75 | +0.8% |
| 1963 | 68.96 | +1.8% |
| 1968 | 70.15 | +1.7% |
| 1970 | 70.03 | -0.2% |
| 1991 | 72.07 | +2.9% |
| 1993 | 67.7 | -6.1% |
| 1996 | 65.87 | -2.7% |
| 1998 | 66.62 | +1.1% |
| 2002 | 62.08 | -6.8% |
| 2004 | 70.66 | +13.8% |
| 2006 | 70.78 | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 68.79 | -2.8% |
| 2015 | 71.33 | +3.7% |
| 2022 | 67.69 | -5.1% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 67.69 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 57.89, 1.2× the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 67.69 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 57.71, 1.2× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 63.1 | 63.1 | 63.1 | 1 |
| 1930s | 63.79 | 63.28 | 64.13 | 8 |
| 1940s | 65.17 | 64.82 | 65.66 | 7 |
| 1950s | 66.04 | 64.78 | 67.75 | 9 |
| 1960s | 69.56 | 68.96 | 70.15 | 2 |
| 1970s | 70.03 | 70.03 | 70.03 | 1 |
| 1990s | 68.06 | 65.87 | 72.07 | 4 |
| 2000s | 67.84 | 62.08 | 70.78 | 3 |
| 2010s | 70.06 | 68.79 | 71.33 | 2 |
| 2020s | 67.69 | 67.69 | 67.69 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 8 Peru 69.66 compare
- 9 Zimbabwe 68.51 compare
- 10 Mozambique 68.09 compare
- 12 Costa Rica 65.35 compare
- 13 Thailand 64.29 compare
- 14 Saudi Arabia 64.28 compare
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 three metrics of inequality in Zambia?
- Three metrics of inequality in Zambia was 67.69 in 2022, according to World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest three metrics of inequality recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 72.07 in 1991.
- What is the lowest three metrics of inequality recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 62.08 in 2002.
- How does Zambia rank for three metrics of inequality?
- Zambia ranks 11th out of 113 countries with data for 2022.
- Is three metrics of inequality rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Three metrics of inequality. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 38 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The Gini coefficient measures inequality on a scale from 0 to 1. Higher values indicate higher inequality. Inequality is measured here in terms of income before taxes and benefits.