The share and number of people living in extreme poverty in Zambia
Zambia: The share and number of people living in extreme poverty was 71.7% in 2022. ▲ Rising
The share and number of people living in extreme poverty in Zambia, 1991–2022
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for the share and number of people living in extreme poverty in Zambia is 71.7%, measured in 2022.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, the share and number of people living in extreme poverty in Zambia peaked at 72.0% in 2006 and was at its lowest, 56.1%, in 1996.
Zambia ranks 4th of 120 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 10 years of available data.
The share and number of people living in extreme poverty in Zambia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 63.0% | — |
| 1993 | 67.1% | +6.5% |
| 1996 | 56.1% | -16.4% |
| 1998 | 56.6% | +1.0% |
| 2002 | 68.0% | +20.1% |
| 2004 | 68.9% | +1.4% |
| 2006 | 72.0% | +4.4% |
| 2010 | 71.4% | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 67.9% | -4.9% |
| 2022 | 71.7% | +5.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 60.7% | 56.1% | 67.1% | 4 |
| 2000s | 69.6% | 68.0% | 72.0% | 3 |
| 2010s | 69.6% | 67.9% | 71.4% | 2 |
| 2020s | 71.7% | 71.7% | 71.7% | 1 |
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 the share and number of people living in extreme poverty in Zambia?
- The share and number of people living in extreme poverty in Zambia was 71.7% in 2022, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest the share and number of people living in extreme poverty recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 72.0% in 2006.
- What is the lowest the share and number of people living in extreme poverty recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 56.1% in 1996.
- How does Zambia rank for the share and number of people living in extreme poverty?
- Zambia ranks 4th out of 120 countries with data for 2022.
- Is the share and number of people living in extreme poverty rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of The share and number of people living in extreme poverty. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 10 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Percentage of population living in households with an income or consumption below $3 per day.