Gender wage gap in Zambia
Zambia: Gender wage gap was -1.6% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
-1.6%
Change on year
up 52.7%
World rank
52nd
of 67 countries
All-time high
37.8%
in 2017
All-time low
-10.2%
in 2022
Years of data
8
2017–2024
Gender wage gap in Zambia, 2017–2024
Source: International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Zambia recorded -1.6% for gender wage gap in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 52.7% on the previous year and down 104.2% over ten years.
That places Zambia 52nd out of 67 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Gender wage gap in Zambia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 37.8% | — |
| 2018 | 5.7% | -84.9% |
| 2019 | 16.5% | +189.8% |
| 2020 | 4.3% | -74.3% |
| 2021 | 10.9% | +155.7% |
| 2022 | -10.2% | -193.8% |
| 2023 | -3.4% | -67.1% |
| 2024 | -1.6% | -52.7% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's -1.6% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 4.9%. (18 countries reporting)
- Zambia's -1.6% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 10.9%. (11 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 20.0% | 5.7% | 37.8% | 3 |
| 2020s | -0.0% | -10.2% | 10.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
More work & labour data for Zambia
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.5254 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.5224 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.5281 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate 0.7611 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 3.24 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 25,577 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 15,424 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 32,895 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 31,579 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 64,474 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is gender wage gap in Zambia?
- Gender wage gap in Zambia was -1.6% in 2024, according to International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest gender wage gap recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 37.8% in 2017.
- What is the lowest gender wage gap recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was -10.2% in 2022.
- How does Zambia rank for gender wage gap?
- Zambia ranks 52nd out of 67 countries with data for 2024.
- Is gender wage gap rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 104.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Gender wage gap. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 8 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Difference between average earnings of men and average earnings of women expressed as a percentage of average earnings of men.