Lusaka Province: population, jobs, income, poverty, health, education, water and power
Lusaka Province is a province of Zambia, the largest of 10 by population. The Zambia Statistics Agency projects the population of Lusaka Province at 3,634,654 for mid-2026, 15.8% of Zambia's 23.00 million; the largest of the 10 provinces. The projection starts from the 2022 census and adds 94,883 people (2.68%) between mid-2025 and mid-2026 (Zambia: 3.09%).
In depth
- Economy, jobs and prices in Lusaka Province: 8.4% of Lusaka Province's labour force was unemployed in the 2024 Labour Force Survey, about 98,500 people out of 1,173,000 working or looking for work; 3rd lowest of the 10 provinces (Zambia: 12.9%).
- Health in Lusaka Province: A baby born in Lusaka Province in 2026 is projected to live 69.7 years on average, the longest of the 10 provinces (Zambia: 67.5), according to ZamStats projections from the 2022 census.
- Education in Lusaka Province: 86.8% of women and 92.5% of men aged 15 to 49 in Lusaka Province could read in 2024; the women's rate is the highest of the 10 provinces (Zambia: 69.7% and 80.6%).
- Poverty and living standards in Lusaka Province: 27.0% of people in Lusaka Province lived below the national poverty line in 2022, up from 20.2% in 2015; the lowest of the 10 provinces (Zambia: 60.0%, up from 54.4%).
How many people were counted in Lusaka in the 2022 census?
The 2022 Census of Population and Housing counted 3,093,617 people in Lusaka Province (1,497,994 male, 1,595,623 female). Its population grew by an average of 2.9% a year between the 2010 and 2022 censuses, the joint slowest of the 10 provinces.
Source: Zambia Statistics Agency · saved copyHow many people in Lusaka live in towns?
89.7% of Lusaka Province's people lived in urban areas at the 2022 census (2,774,038 urban, 319,579 rural), the most urban of the 10 provinces (Zambia: 44.7%).
Source: Zambia Statistics Agency · saved copyHow densely populated is Lusaka?
Lusaka Province had 141.3 people per square kilometre in 2022 (area 21,896 km²), the most densely populated of the 10 provinces (Zambia: 26.2).
Source: Zambia Statistics Agency · saved copyHow many children do women in Lusaka have?
Women in Lusaka Province have 3.2 children each on average at current rates, according to the 2024 Zambia Demographic and Health Survey, the joint lowest of the 10 provinces (Zambia: 4.0).
Source: Zambia Statistics Agency and Ministry of Health (with ICF, The DHS Program) · saved copyMore figures
- In 2022 Lusaka Province had 62.1 children and older people for every 100 people of working age (age dependency ratio), down from 72.5 in 2010; the lowest of the 10 provinces (Zambia: 81.2). Source: Zambia Statistics Agency · saved copy
How provinces are governed in Zambia
Provinces (10). Provincial minister appointed by the President. Ensures national policy is carried out in districts; no elected provincial council.
Every tier of government in Zambia
Other provinces of Zambia
- Copperbelt Province 3,257,050
- Eastern Province 2,810,701
- Southern Province 2,804,849
- Central Province 2,735,746
- Northern Province 1,859,882
- Luapula Province 1,775,390
- Western Province 1,576,616
- North-Western Province 1,516,038
- Muchinga Province 1,032,287
Up a level: Zambia · government and power in Zambia · cities
Sources
- Zambia Statistics Agency: 2022 Census of Population and Housing: Summary Report (Tables 2.3, 2.4, 5.1; Figure 2.18), read 27 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 cc53279c7344…)
- Zambia Statistics Agency and Ministry of Health (with ICF, The DHS Program): Zambia Demographic and Health Survey 2024, Final Report (province rows of Tables 2.6, 2.12, 3.3, 3.9.1, 5.2, 8.1, 8.3, 9.8, 10.4, 11.1, 14.4.1, 16.11, 17.2, 17.7), read 27 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 12e99ddc4a98…)
- Zambia Statistics Agency: 2022 Living Conditions Monitoring Survey Report (Tables 6.2, 10.2, 14.8; Figures 12.3, 12.6, 12.27), read 27 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 e5a8bbf667e0…)
- Zambia Statistics Agency and Ministry of Labour and Social Security: 2024 Labour Force Survey Report (Tables 4.2, 4.3, 10.2; Figures 5.6, 7.2, 10.10, 10.18), read 27 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 9dac93f5249a…)
- Zambia Statistics Agency: 2022 Census of Population and Housing: National, Provincial and District Population Projections 2023-2047 (Tables A4, A5, A6; medium variant), read 27 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 76c7c9904915…)
Each saved copy is the file exactly as downloaded, kept so the figures can be checked even if the source changes. Report an error.