South Africa vs Zambia: Population growth

Population growth in 2023: 1.32% a year in South Africa and 2.83% a year in Zambia, by UN estimates. In 2023 the value was higher in Zambia, by 1.52 percentage points, or 2.15 times that in South Africa.

Watch it change on the map

% a year · UN

South AfricaZambiaUN projection (medium variant)95% prediction intervalWorld

What the numbers say

Zambia has been higher since 1991, when it overtook South Africa.
In 2023, South Africa ranked 87 and Zambia ranked 17 of 229 countries, counting from the highest.
The UN projection (medium variant) puts South Africa at 0.23% a year and Zambia at 0.52% a year in 2100.
The world as a whole: 0.87% a year in 2023.

Every year

% a year · UN

Year	South Africa	Zambia	World
2023	1.32	2.83	0.87
2022	1.34	2.75	0.88
2021	1.49	2.77	0.8
2020	1.6	2.86	0.9
2019	1.65	2.95	1.03
2018	1.65	2.97	1.07
2017	1.72	3.04	1.13
2016	-0.42	3.1	1.17
2015	2.31	3.09	1.18
2014	1.7	3.15	1.22
2013	1.62	3.2	1.23
2012	1.69	3.21	1.27
2011	1.26	3.28	1.26
2010	1.21	3.37	1.27
2009	1.15	3.55	1.28
2008	1.24	3.52	1.28
2007	1.07	3.61	1.28
2006	1.04	3.44	1.28
2005	1	3.45	1.27
2004	1.02	3.15	1.28
2003	0.99	3.21	1.29
2002	1	3	1.3
2001	0.89	3.16	1.33
2000	0.83	2.88	1.35
1999	1	2.74	1.35
1998	1.18	2.62	1.37
1997	1.25	2.62	1.39
1996	1.15	2.49	1.42
1995	1.45	2.42	1.45
1994	0.98	2.41	1.47
1993	2.27	2.37	1.52
1992	1.7	2.4	1.57
1991	1.89	2.43	1.63
1990	2.69	2.53	1.76
1989	2.88	2.59	1.78
1988	3	2.69	1.79
1987	3.09	2.8	1.84
1986	3.15	2.98	1.83
1985	3.25	2.99	1.8
1984	3.42	3.01	1.8
1983	3.5	3.15	1.78
1982	3.48	3.3	1.86
1981	3.43	3.12	1.82
1980	3.38	3	1.8
1979	2.7	2.98	1.79
1978	2.71	3.01	1.74
1977	2.75	3.04	1.75
1976	2.66	3.04	1.78
1975	2.75	3.03	1.8
1974	2.79	2.96	1.88
1973	2.85	2.91	1.94
1972	2.87	2.85	1.97
1971	2.87	2.78	1.97
1970	2.99	2.73	2.06
1969	3.07	3.13	2.06
1968	3.11	3.24	2.09
1967	3.13	3.22	2
1966	3.11	3.2	2.04
1965	3.09	3.19	2.09
1964	3.06	3.14	2.16
1963	3.05	3.17	2.28
1962	3.02	3.15	2.11
1961	2.93	3.14	1.67
1960	2.68	3.12	1.58
1959	2.56	3.11	1.73
1958	2.43	3.09	2
1957	2.44	3.07	2.07
1956	2.39	3.06	1.98
1955	2.33	3.05	2.01
1954	2.26	3.05	1.99
1953	2.17	3.05	1.9
1952	2.16	3.04	1.94
1951	2.1	3.04	1.75
1950	2.01	3.07	1.74

UN projection (medium variant) · 2024–2100

Year	South Africa	Zambia	World
2024	1.190.34–1.98	2.791.94–3.51	0.86
2025	1.120.23–2.01	2.751.87–3.51	0.84
2026	1.050.1–1.94	2.721.77–3.52	0.83
2027	1.040.12–1.97	2.681.7–3.49	0.81
2028	1.030.07–2.02	2.631.61–3.51	0.8
2029	0.990.04–1.9	2.591.52–3.45	0.78
2030	0.94-0.03–1.93	2.551.49–3.45	0.76
2031	0.920–1.95	2.511.37–3.45	0.75
2032	0.9-0.06–1.9	2.461.31–3.41	0.73
2033	0.87-0.12–1.84	2.411.22–3.41	0.72
2034	0.84-0.19–1.83	2.371.19–3.4	0.7
2035	0.83-0.15–1.82	2.331.12–3.39	0.69
2036	0.8-0.19–1.74	2.281.07–3.34	0.67
2037	0.79-0.26–1.8	2.221.04–3.34	0.65
2038	0.76-0.27–1.73	2.170.95–3.32	0.64
2039	0.73-0.31–1.74	2.120.89–3.3	0.62
2040	0.73-0.37–1.71	2.080.85–3.28	0.61
2041	0.72-0.33–1.73	2.030.76–3.26	0.59
2042	0.71-0.31–1.81	1.990.78–3.26	0.57
2043	0.7-0.31–1.75	1.960.7–3.25	0.56
2044	0.68-0.34–1.72	1.920.67–3.26	0.54
2045	0.67-0.35–1.76	1.880.62–3.22	0.52
2046	0.68-0.29–1.74	1.850.61–3.23	0.5
2047	0.66-0.38–1.71	1.810.53–3.19	0.48
2048	0.62-0.43–1.66	1.780.48–3.16	0.46
2049	0.61-0.42–1.71	1.740.45–3.14	0.44
2050	0.6-0.46–1.66	1.70.39–3.12	0.42
2051	0.6-0.43–1.72	1.670.36–3.13	0.4
2052	0.56-0.46–1.69	1.630.31–3.14	0.38
2053	0.54-0.51–1.6	1.60.24–3.11	0.36
2054	0.54-0.55–1.62	1.580.23–3.13	0.34
2055	0.52-0.56–1.6	1.550.22–3.08	0.33
2056	0.5-0.6–1.6	1.520.16–3.1	0.31
2057	0.5-0.66–1.66	1.490.11–3.01	0.3
2058	0.49-0.58–1.71	1.470.07–3.02	0.28
2059	0.47-0.66–1.64	1.440.05–3.03	0.27
2060	0.46-0.65–1.62	1.420.05–3.01	0.25
2061	0.44-0.69–1.57	1.38-0.04–3	0.24
2062	0.44-0.73–1.59	1.36-0.11–2.94	0.23
2063	0.43-0.75–1.56	1.32-0.11–2.94	0.22
2064	0.42-0.74–1.6	1.3-0.15–2.95	0.21
2065	0.39-0.74–1.52	1.27-0.2–2.97	0.2
2066	0.39-0.76–1.53	1.24-0.27–2.94	0.19
2067	0.37-0.8–1.52	1.22-0.22–2.98	0.18
2068	0.36-0.86–1.53	1.19-0.26–2.98	0.17
2069	0.35-0.89–1.54	1.18-0.29–2.97	0.16
2070	0.38-0.87–1.6	1.15-0.31–2.93	0.15
2071	0.37-0.83–1.6	1.12-0.32–2.89	0.14
2072	0.32-0.85–1.52	1.1-0.38–2.86	0.13
2073	0.32-0.88–1.45	1.08-0.4–2.89	0.12
2074	0.32-0.92–1.58	1.05-0.45–2.87	0.1
2075	0.31-0.94–1.44	1.03-0.52–2.78	0.09
2076	0.3-0.96–1.37	1-0.55–2.78	0.08
2077	0.31-0.93–1.51	0.98-0.62–2.77	0.07
2078	0.31-0.93–1.53	0.96-0.61–2.81	0.06
2079	0.3-1.05–1.53	0.93-0.66–2.79	0.05
2080	0.3-1.01–1.52	0.92-0.7–2.82	0.04
2081	0.3-0.99–1.52	0.89-0.72–2.8	0.03
2082	0.29-1.04–1.49	0.87-0.78–2.84	0.02
2083	0.29-1.04–1.51	0.85-0.83–2.81	0.01
2084	0.27-1.01–1.55	0.83-0.87–2.81	-0
2085	0.25-1.1–1.51	0.8-0.89–2.84	-0.01
2086	0.28-1.09–1.53	0.79-0.89–2.84	-0.02
2087	0.27-1.06–1.54	0.77-0.98–2.82	-0.03
2088	0.26-1.13–1.51	0.73-1.07–2.78	-0.04
2089	0.26-1.11–1.51	0.72-1.08–2.78	-0.05
2090	0.25-1.16–1.52	0.7-1.15–2.75	-0.05
2091	0.27-1.09–1.45	0.69-1.16–2.75	-0.06
2092	0.24-1.17–1.46	0.66-1.22–2.79	-0.07
2093	0.24-1.19–1.54	0.64-1.23–2.76	-0.07
2094	0.24-1.21–1.48	0.63-1.31–2.7	-0.08
2095	0.22-1.12–1.52	0.6-1.33–2.74	-0.09
2096	0.21-1.14–1.48	0.58-1.34–2.72	-0.1
2097	0.2-1.23–1.49	0.57-1.36–2.73	-0.11
2098	0.22-1.19–1.5	0.55-1.41–2.69	-0.11
2099	0.22-1.1–1.46	0.53-1.51–2.67	-0.12
2100	0.23-1.2–1.45	0.52-1.5–2.67	-0.13

Each country on its own

Good to know

How fast the population grew or shrank in a year: births minus deaths, plus people moving in minus people moving out.
Source: UN DESA, World Population Prospects 2024.
The dashed line is the UN projection (medium variant), a scenario rather than a forecast; the band is its 95% prediction interval.
Ranks count the 229 countries with a value in 2023, highest first.
The faint line is the world as a whole, as the same source counts it.

How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time

South Africa vs Zambia: Population growth

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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South Africa vs Zambia

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