Population

• ♦   The population of Zambia is 13,881,336

• ♦   The median age of the population of Zambia is 17 years

• ♦   46% of Zambians are under the age of 14 years whilst just 2.5% are over 65

• ♦   There are an estimated 1.2 million orphans in Zambia (2009)

 Health

• ♦   Life expectancy at birth is 38.5 years, the 5th worst in the world 

• ♦   Zambia has the 3rd highest death rate in the world

• ♦   The probability of reaching the age of 40 is 53.6%

• ♦   An average of 89,000 people die from HIV AIDS each year (2007)

• ♦   There are 1.3 million people living with HIV AIDS

• ♦   Just 29% of the population have access to sanitation

• ♦   Only 43% have access to safe drinking water in rural area

• ♦   Over 12,200 children die from diarrhoea each year in Zambia

• ♦   Only 34% of children under 5 sleep under a mosquito net

 Poverty  

• ♦   86% of Zambians live below the internationally accepted poverty line of $1 per day

• ♦   Only 3.2% of households in rural areas have access to electricity

 Education 

• ♦   Only around 57% of children in Zambia attend school

• ♦   The Zambian government spends 2% of the GDP on education

• ♦   The average child’s education lasts just 7 years

• ♦   23% of children attending school are orphans

To watch a video of a local Mfuwe teacher explaing the Zambian Education system click here.