Poverty: Share of population living on less than $4.20 a day in Zambia

Zambia: Poverty: Share of population living on less than $4.20 a day was 81.4% in 2022. ▲ Rising

Latest (2022)
81.4%
World rank
5th
of 120 countries
All-time high
81.9%
in 2002
All-time low
70.3%
in 1996
Years of data
10
1991–2022

Poverty: Share of population living on less than $4.20 a day in Zambia, 1991–2022

0204060801991200620221991: 72.8 %1993: 78.4 %1996: 70.3 %1998: 71.1 %2002: 81.9 %2004: 79.2 %2006: 81.5 %2010: 81.4 %2015: 78.4 %2022: 81.4 %

Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

Zambia recorded 81.4% for poverty: share of population living on less than $4.20 a day in 2022.

The figure is up 0.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, poverty: share of population living on less than $4.20 a day in Zambia peaked at 81.9% in 2002 and was at its lowest, 70.3%, in 1996.

That places Zambia 5th out of 120 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 10 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 73.2% 70.3% 78.4% 4
2000s 80.9% 79.2% 81.9% 3
2010s 79.9% 78.4% 81.4% 2
2020s 81.4% 81.4% 81.4% 1

Countries ranked near Zambia

  1. 2 Malawi 87.3% compare
  2. 3 Burundi 87.2% compare
  3. 4 Madagascar 83.9% compare
  4. 6 Niger 79.7% compare
  5. 7 Uganda 76.3% compare
  6. 8 Tanzania 70.0% compare

See the full ranking of 120 places →

More reference data data for Zambia

All data for Zambia →

Frequently asked questions

What is poverty: share of population living on less than $4.20 a day in Zambia?
Poverty: share of population living on less than $4.20 a day in Zambia was 81.4% in 2022, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest poverty: share of population living on less than $4.20 a day recorded in Zambia?
The highest recorded value was 81.9% in 2002.
What is the lowest poverty: share of population living on less than $4.20 a day recorded in Zambia?
The lowest recorded value was 70.3% in 1996.
How does Zambia rank for poverty: share of population living on less than $4.20 a day?
Zambia ranks 5th out of 120 countries with data for 2022.
Is poverty: share of population living on less than $4.20 a day rising or falling in Zambia?
Over the last ten years it is up 0.0%. 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 Poverty: Share of population living on less than $4.20 a day. 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

Indicator
Poverty: Share of population living on less than $4.20 a day
Unit
%
Source
World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
120 places, 2,148 data points, 1963–2025
Last refreshed

Percentage of population living in households with an income or consumption below $4.20 per day.