Self-reported life satisfaction in Zambia

Zambia: Self-reported life satisfaction was 4.11 in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
4.11
Change on year
up 5.0%
World rank
136th
of 157 countries
All-time high
5.13
in 2014
All-time low
3.5
in 2023
Years of data
14
2011–2025

Self-reported life satisfaction in Zambia, 2011–2025

02462011201820252011: 4.72012: 52014: 5.12015: 4.82016: 4.52017: 4.42018: 4.12019: 3.82020: 4.12021: 3.82022: 42023: 3.52024: 3.92025: 4.1

Source: Wellbeing Research Centre (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.

Analysis

Zambia recorded 4.11 for self-reported life satisfaction in 2025.

The figure is up 5.0% on the previous year and down 14.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, self-reported life satisfaction in Zambia peaked at 5.13 in 2014 and was at its lowest, 3.5, in 2023.

That places Zambia 136th out of 157 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 14 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 4.55 3.76 5.13 8
2020s 3.89 3.5 4.11 6

Countries ranked near Zambia

  1. 133 Togo 4.28 compare
  2. 134 Madagascar 4.17 compare
  3. 135 Sudan 4.14 compare
  4. 137 Sri Lanka 4.01 compare
  5. 138 Ethiopia 3.98 compare
  6. 139 Comoros 3.92 compare

See the full ranking of 157 places →

More social development data for Zambia

All data for Zambia →

Frequently asked questions

What is self-reported life satisfaction in Zambia?
Self-reported life satisfaction in Zambia was 4.11 in 2025, according to Wellbeing Research Centre (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest self-reported life satisfaction recorded in Zambia?
The highest recorded value was 5.13 in 2014.
What is the lowest self-reported life satisfaction recorded in Zambia?
The lowest recorded value was 3.5 in 2023.
How does Zambia rank for self-reported life satisfaction?
Zambia ranks 136th out of 157 countries with data for 2025.
Is self-reported life satisfaction rising or falling in Zambia?
Over the last ten years it is down 14.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Zambia data come from?
The figures come from Wellbeing Research Centre (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Self-reported life satisfaction. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Self-reported life satisfaction
Source
Wellbeing Research Centre (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
157 places, 2,073 data points, 2011–2025
Last refreshed

Average of survey responses. The survey question asks respondents their current position on a hypothetical ladder, where the best possible life for them is a 10, and the worst possible life is a 0.