PEOPLE
Population: 9,663,535 (July 1999 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 49% (male 2,381,937; female 2,355,807)
15-64 years: 49% (male 2,308,715; female 2,379,994)
65 years and over: 2% (male 107,427; female 129,655) (1999 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.12% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 44.51 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 22.56 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.78 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 91.85 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 36.96 years
male: 36.72 years
female: 37.21 years (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate: 6.35 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Zambian(s)
adjective: Zambian
Ethnic groups: African 98.7%, European 1.1%, other 0.2%
Religions: Christian 50%-75%, Muslim and Hindu 24%-49%, indigenous beliefs 1%
Languages: English (official), major vernaculars—Bemba, Kaonda, Lozi, Lunda, Luvale, Nyanja, Tonga, and about 70 other indigenous languages
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write English
total population: 78.2%
male: 85.6%
female: 71.3% (1995 est.)
Zambia's population comprises more than 70 Bantu-speaking tribes. Some tribes are small, and only two have enough people to constitute at least 10% of the population. Most Zambians are subsistence farmers. The predominant religion is a blend of traditional beliefs and Christianity.
Expatriates, mostly British (about 15,000) or South African, live mainly in Lusaka and in the copperbelt in northern Zambia, where they are employed in mines and related activities. Zambia also has a small but economically important Asian population, most of whom are Indians. The country is 42% urban.