Minimum daily requirement of calories in Zambia
Zambia: Minimum daily requirement of calories was 1,727 kilocalories per person per day in 2024. ▬ Flat
Latest (2024)
1,727 kilocalories per person per day
Change on year
up 0.2%
World rank
178th
of 195 countries
All-time high
1,727 kilocalories per person per day
in 2024
All-time low
1,652 kilocalories per person per day
in 2000
Years of data
25
2000–2024
Minimum daily requirement of calories in Zambia, 2000–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in kilocalories per person per day.
Analysis
Zambia recorded 1,727 kilocalories per person per day for minimum daily requirement of calories in 2024. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.
The figure is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 2.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, minimum daily requirement of calories in Zambia peaked at 1,727 kilocalories per person per day in 2024 and was at its lowest, 1,652 kilocalories per person per day, in 2000.
That places Zambia 178th out of 195 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Minimum daily requirement of calories in Zambia, year by year
| Year | kilocalories per person per day | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 1,652 kilocalories per person per day | — |
| 2001 | 1,653 kilocalories per person per day | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 1,653 kilocalories per person per day | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 1,657 kilocalories per person per day | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 1,660 kilocalories per person per day | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 1,663 kilocalories per person per day | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 1,665 kilocalories per person per day | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 1,668 kilocalories per person per day | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 1,670 kilocalories per person per day | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 1,673 kilocalories per person per day | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 1,675 kilocalories per person per day | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 1,677 kilocalories per person per day | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 1,680 kilocalories per person per day | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 1,683 kilocalories per person per day | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 1,686 kilocalories per person per day | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 1,690 kilocalories per person per day | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 1,694 kilocalories per person per day | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 1,699 kilocalories per person per day | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 1,703 kilocalories per person per day | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 1,707 kilocalories per person per day | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 1,711 kilocalories per person per day | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 1,716 kilocalories per person per day | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 1,720 kilocalories per person per day | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 1,723 kilocalories per person per day | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 1,727 kilocalories per person per day | +0.2% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 1,727 kilocalories per person per day is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1,774 kilocalories per person per day, 97% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 1,727 kilocalories per person per day is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1,753 kilocalories per person per day, 99% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1,661 kilocalories per person per day | 1,652 kilocalories per person per day | 1,673 kilocalories per person per day | 10 |
| 2010s | 1,689 kilocalories per person per day | 1,675 kilocalories per person per day | 1,707 kilocalories per person per day | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,719 kilocalories per person per day | 1,711 kilocalories per person per day | 1,727 kilocalories per person per day | 5 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 175 Benin 1,732 kilocalories per person per day compare
- 176 Guatemala 1,731 kilocalories per person per day compare
- 177 Solomon Islands 1,728 kilocalories per person per day compare
- 178 Sudan 1,727 kilocalories per person per day compare
- 180 Mali 1,724 kilocalories per person per day compare
- 181 Uganda 1,723 kilocalories per person per day compare
More reference data data for Zambia
- Exchange rate, new LCU per USD extended backward, period average 18.94 (2026)
- Exchange rate, old LCU per USD extended forward, period average 18.94 (2026)
- Official exchange rate, LCU per USD, period average 18.94 (2026)
- Global number of reported disasters by size, gaps filled 0 events (2025)
- Annual precipitation, annual growth rate 40.84 % change on previous year (2025)
- Free country, gaps filled 1 (2025)
- Civil liberties rating, gaps filled 4 (2025)
- Civil liberties rating, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Civil liberties rating, per capita 0 units per person (2025)
- Consumer price index 483.32 2010 = 100 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is minimum daily requirement of calories in Zambia?
- Minimum daily requirement of calories in Zambia was 1,727 kilocalories per person per day in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest minimum daily requirement of calories recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 1,727 kilocalories per person per day in 2024.
- What is the lowest minimum daily requirement of calories recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,652 kilocalories per person per day in 2000.
- How does Zambia rank for minimum daily requirement of calories?
- Zambia ranks 178th out of 195 countries with data for 2024.
- Is minimum daily requirement of calories rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Minimum daily requirement of calories. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The minimum amount of daily dietary energy per person that is considered adequate to ensure they maintain a minimum weight for health. Across a population, this takes factors such as the age, sex, height, and activity levels of different individuals into account.