Number of people using the Internet in Zambia

Zambia: Number of people using the Internet was 3.65 million people in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
3.65 million people
Change on year
up 6.9%
World rank
115th
of 208 countries
All-time high
3.65 million people
in 2024
All-time low
0 people
in 1990
Years of data
32
1990–2024

Number of people using the Internet in Zambia, 1990–2024

01.0M2.0M3.0M4.0M1990200720241990: 0 people1994: 581.5 people1995: 771.4 people1996: 816.7 people1997: 861.8 people1998: 2.9k people1999: 14.3k people2000: 19.1k people2001: 24.1k people2002: 50.9k people2003: 107.7k people2004: 124.7k people2005: 152.3k people2006: 194.1k people2007: 238.7k people2008: 286.5k people2009: 337.3k people2010: 419.0k people2011: 505.3k people2012: 611.5k people2013: 739.2k people2014: 1.0M people2015: 1.4M people2016: 1.7M people2017: 2.1M people2018: 2.6M people2019: 2.7M people2020: 2.8M people2021: 2.9M people2022: 3.0M people2023: 3.4M people2024: 3.6M people

Source: World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database - International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026); United Nations Population Division, national statistical offices, and Eurostat, vi. Measured in people.

Analysis

In 2024, number of people using the internet in Zambia stood at 3.65 million people. That is the highest value across all 32 years on record.

That represents a change of up 6.9% on the previous year and up 252.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, number of people using the internet in Zambia peaked at 3.65 million people in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0 people, in 1990.

Zambia ranks 115th of 208 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Number of people using the Internet in Zambia, year by year

Annual values for Number of people using the Internet in Zambia, 1990 to 2024.
Year people Change
1990 0 people
1994 581.47 people
1995 771.39 people +32.7%
1996 816.67 people +5.9%
1997 861.82 people +5.5%
1998 2,864 people +232.3%
1999 14,318 people +400.0%
2000 19,141 people +33.7%
2001 24,071 people +25.8%
2002 50,871 people +111.3%
2003 107,692 people +111.7%
2004 124,720 people +15.8%
2005 152,345 people +22.1%
2006 194,073 people +27.4%
2007 238,737 people +23.0%
2008 286,469 people +20.0%
2009 337,260 people +17.7%
2010 418,968 people +24.2%
2011 505,323 people +20.6%
2012 611,459 people +21.0%
2013 739,152 people +20.9%
2014 1.03 million people +39.8%
2015 1.44 million people +39.7%
2016 1.74 million people +20.7%
2017 2.13 million people +22.1%
2018 2.57 million people +20.8%
2019 2.68 million people +4.2%
2020 2.79 million people +4.2%
2021 2.91 million people +4.1%
2022 3.02 million people +4.0%
2023 3.41 million people +12.8%
2024 3.65 million people +6.9%

Zambia compared with similar countries

  • Zambia's 3.65 million people is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 5.91 million people, 62% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
  • Zambia's 3.65 million people is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3.88 million people, 94% of the median. (48 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Number of people using the Internet in Zambia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
1999 +400.0% 2,864 people 14,318 people
1998 +232.3% 861.82 people 2,864 people
2003 +111.7% 50,871 people 107,692 people
2002 +111.3% 24,071 people 50,871 people

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 2,888 people 0 people 14,318 people 7
2000s 153,538 people 19,141 people 337,260 people 10
2010s 1.39 million people 418,968 people 2.68 million people 10
2020s 3.15 million people 2.79 million people 3.65 million people 5

Countries ranked near Zambia

  1. 112 El Salvador 4.21 million people compare
  2. 113 Niger 4.21 million people compare
  3. 114 Malawi 4.11 million people compare
  4. 116 Togo 3.32 million people compare
  5. 117 Panama 3.29 million people compare
  6. 118 Croatia 3.23 million people compare

See the full ranking of 208 places →

More science & technology data for Zambia

All data for Zambia →

Frequently asked questions

What is number of people using the internet in Zambia?
Number of people using the internet in Zambia was 3.65 million people in 2024, according to World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database - International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026); United Nations Population Division, national statistical offices, and Eurostat, vi.
What is the highest number of people using the internet recorded in Zambia?
The highest recorded value was 3.65 million people in 2024.
What is the lowest number of people using the internet recorded in Zambia?
The lowest recorded value was 0 people in 1990.
How does Zambia rank for number of people using the internet?
Zambia ranks 115th out of 208 countries with data for 2024.
Is number of people using the internet rising or falling in Zambia?
Over the last ten years it is up 252.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Zambia data come from?
The figures come from World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database - International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026); United Nations Population Division, national statistical offices, and Eurostat, vi, published as part of Number of people using the Internet. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Number of people using the Internet in Zambia. Statizoid, drawing on World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database - International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026); United Nations Population Division, national statistical offices, and Eurostat, vi. Retrieved 22 September 2026, from https://science-tech.statizoid.com/stat/number-of-internet-users/zambia/

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About this data

Indicator
Number of people using the Internet
Unit
people
Source
World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database - International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026); United Nations Population Division, national statistical offices, and Eurostat, vi
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
208 places, 6,217 data points, 1990–2025
Last refreshed

Number of people who used the Internet in the last three months.