Sub-Saharan Africa · ZM
Generation Alpha & Beta
in Zambia
How many of each cohort Zambia has, how fast the next one is arriving, and what the fertility rate, median age and school system mean for both.
Zambia has approximately 9.2 million Generation Alpha people (born 2010–2024), about 40.9% of its population, and roughly 1.3 million Generation Beta children born since 2025. Its fertility rate is 3.9 and its child population is growing, projected +23% by 2040.
Births since 1 January 2025 at Zambia's own rate, less infant mortality. At 1,976 births a day it climbs steadily rather than visibly.
Born 2010–2024 — 40.9% of the population, aged 2–16 this year.
About 1,976 births a day, all of them Generation Beta.
Larger than the Alpha cohort — one of the countries where the next generation grows.
Size of the Generation Alpha cohort
Share of the population under 15
Total fertility rate
Child population to 2040 (+23%)
Zambia against the world average
Key dates for Zambia
7 compulsory years from age 7.
Born on 1 January 2025, they reach Zambia's starting age of 7.
Under-15s change by +23% against today.
Eighteen years after the cohort opened.
The cohort closes on 31 December 2039; its youngest members enter school here.
School dates follow Zambia's own starting age of 7 and 7 compulsory years, so they differ from the global figures on our Generation Beta page.
Every figure on this page
Zambia in 20 numbers
| Indicator | Zambia | World average | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 22.5 million | — | #61 of 194 |
| Generation Alpha (born 2010–2024) | 9.2 million | — | #47 of 194 |
| Gen Alpha share of population | 40.9% | — | #9 of 194 |
| Projected Gen Beta births 2025–39 | 11.6 million | — | #38 of 194 |
| Births per year | 721,060 | — | #39 of 194 |
| Births per day | 1,976 | — | #39 of 194 |
| Under-15 share of population | 41% | 25% | #12 of 194 |
| Total fertility rate | 3.9 | 2.2 | #23 of 194 |
| Median age | 18 years | 31 years | #177 of 194 |
| Life expectancy at birth | 67 years | 73 years | #153 of 194 |
| Urban population | 46% | 58% | #144 of 194 |
| Internet use | 17% | 68% | #186 of 192 |
| Secondary school completion | 55% | 60% | #140 of 189 |
| School starting age | age 7 | — | #1 of 194 |
| Compulsory years of schooling | 7 years | — | #169 of 194 |
| Daily screen time, ages 8–12 | Not reported | — | |
| Cost of raising a child to 18 | Not reported | — | |
| Under-15 population change to 2040 | +23% | — | #16 of 194 |
| Youth dependency ratio | 72 per 100 adults | — | #17 of 194 |
| Mobile connections per 100 people | 109 | — | #113 of 194 |
Rank is out of the 194 countries profiled here and always runs highest first — so #1 on median age is the oldest country, not the youngest. World averages are population-weighted global figures and are shown only where a comparable one exists. Sources: UN World Population Prospects, World Bank Open Data, UNESCO and ITU, via our sources page.
1950 to 2023, with the UN projection to 2030
Zambia birth rate and fertility rate by year
About 685,600 babies were born in Zambia in 2023, and women had 4.10 children on average. That is more births than in any earlier year since 1950. Fertility has stayed above the replacement level of 2.1 in every year since 1950. Annual births are 51% higher than in 2000.
Fertility rate (children per woman)
Births per year
Thousands of births. Dashed: UN medium-variant projection.
| Year | Births | Fertility rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 116,300 | 6.78 |
| 1960 | 154,400 | 6.95 |
| 1970 | 213,200 | 7.22 |
| 1980 | 275,800 | 7.14 |
| 1990 | 365,700 | 6.57 |
| 2000 | 455,400 | 5.92 |
| 2010 | 578,100 | 5.36 |
| 2015 | 612,400 | 4.78 |
| 2020 | 655,800 | 4.32 |
| 2021 | 665,200 | 4.25 |
| 2022 | 676,000 | 4.17 |
| 2023 | 685,600 | 4.10 |
| 2025 projected | 708,900 | 3.97 |
| 2030 projected | 761,900 | 3.67 |
UN World Population Prospects 2024, republished by Our World in Data. Years to 2023 are UN estimates, which can differ from a country's own registered counts; later years are the UN medium-variant projection. Every country is ranked on fertility rate by country.
Regional peers
Elsewhere in Sub-Saharan Africa
Nigeria
95 million Generation Alpha
Ethiopia
48 million Generation Alpha
DR Congo
44 million Generation Alpha
Tanzania
28 million Generation Alpha
South Africa
17 million Generation Alpha
Kenya
19 million Generation Alpha
Uganda
20 million Generation Alpha
Sudan
19 million Generation Alpha
Run the numbers yourself
Tools that use this data
Gen Beta by Country Forecast
Where the 2.1 billion Betas will be born, and which countries shrink instead.
Under-15 Share by Country
The countries where Alpha and Beta make up the largest share of the population.
Global Child Population Table
Where the world's children are, ranked by region, with the direction each one is…
Median Age Calculator
What a country's median age implies about its Alpha and Beta share, its dependency…
School-Age Population Forecast
How many children will be of school age in any year, globally or nationally.
Where a tool takes a number it opens prefilled with Zambia's own figure rather than the world one, and every input stays editable. The rest are the same ranked tables for every country.
Frequently asked about Zambia
How many Gen Alpha are there in Zambia?
Approximately 9.2 million people born between 2010 and 2024 live in Zambia, about 40.9% of the population.
How many Gen Beta children are there in Zambia?
Roughly 1.3 million children have been born in Zambia since 1 January 2025, growing by about 82 every hour.
What is the fertility rate in Zambia?
Zambia has a total fertility rate of 3.9 children per woman, against a replacement level of 2.1 and a world average of about 2.2.
At what age do children start school in Zambia?
Compulsory schooling begins at age 7 in Zambia, and runs for 7 years.
Is the child population in Zambia growing or shrinking?
It is growing. The under-15 population is projected to change by +23% between now and 2040.
How many babies are born in Zambia each year?
About 685,600 in 2023, according to UN estimates, more than in any earlier year since 1950. The UN projects about 761,900 in 2030.
How has the fertility rate in Zambia changed over time?
It was 6.78 children per woman in 1950 and 4.10 in 2023. It has not fallen below the replacement level of 2.1 in any year since 1950.
AlphaBetaMinds (2026). Generation Alpha and Generation Beta in Zambia. Retrieved from https://alphabetaminds.com/countries/zambia
The printed sheet keeps the headline numbers, the world comparison, the key dates, the full indicator table and this citation, and drops the navigation, the tools and the FAQ. It fits a page or two and needs no login.
Free to reproduce, commercially or not, with a credit and a link. Figures are estimates for 2025–2026 and are updated when the underlying sources are.