People of Zambia

The population of Zambia at the time of the census in 1990 was 7.8 million people. A 2005 estimate was 11.3 million, although statistics suggest it could be about 10.5 million. Zambia's population may be increasing anywhere between 1.5 and 3 percent per year, but the impact of HIV/AIDS makes it difficult to calculate.

About half of Zambia's population lives in urban areas. Lusaka, the capital city, has a population of 1.6 million people (about 10% of the population). Other major urban centers are Ndola, Kitwe, Mufulira, and Luanshya, which are all mining towns in the copper belt.

Zambia's population is made up of more than 70 ethnic groups, many of them Bantu-speaking. The largest groups are the Bemba, Nyanja, and Tonga peoples. More than 70 African languages are spoken, including Bemba, Lozi, Luvale, Tonga, and Nyanja. The official language is English.

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