Southern Province: population, jobs, income, poverty, health, education, water and power

Southern Province is a province of Zambia, number 4 of 10 by population. The Zambia Statistics Agency projects the population of Southern Province at 2,804,849 for mid-2026, 12.2% of Zambia's 23.00 million; 4th largest of the 10 provinces. The projection starts from the 2022 census and adds 91,703 people (3.38%) between mid-2025 and mid-2026 (Zambia: 3.09%).

In depth

• Economy, jobs and prices in Southern Province: 9.0% of Southern Province's labour force was unemployed in the 2024 Labour Force Survey, about 41,800 people out of 465,400 working or looking for work; 4th lowest of the 10 provinces (Zambia: 12.9%).
• Health in Southern Province: A baby born in Southern Province in 2026 is projected to live 68.8 years on average, 2nd longest of the 10 provinces (Zambia: 67.5), according to ZamStats projections from the 2022 census.
• Education in Southern Province: 74.0% of women and 71.8% of men aged 15 to 49 in Southern Province could read in 2024; the women's rate is 3rd highest of the 10 provinces (Zambia: 69.7% and 80.6%).
• Poverty and living standards in Southern Province: 63.5% of people in Southern Province lived below the national poverty line in 2022, up from 57.6% in 2015; 4th lowest of the 10 provinces (Zambia: 60.0%, up from 54.4%).

More figures

• In 2022 Southern Province had 90.2 children and older people for every 100 people of working age (age dependency ratio), down from 99.8 in 2010; 3rd highest 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

• Lusaka Province 3,634,654
• Copperbelt Province 3,257,050
• Eastern Province 2,810,701
• 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

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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…)

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