Share of calories from cereals, roots, and tubers vs. GDP per capita in Zambia
Zambia: Share of calories from cereals, roots, and tubers vs. GDP per capita was 70 percent in 2021. ▼ Falling
Share of calories from cereals, roots, and tubers vs. GDP per capita in Zambia, 2001–2021
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in percent.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of calories from cereals, roots, and tubers vs. gdp per capita in Zambia is 70 percent, measured in 2021.
The figure is down 2.8% on the previous year and up 4.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of calories from cereals, roots, and tubers vs. gdp per capita in Zambia peaked at 77 percent in 2002 and was at its lowest, 67 percent, in 2011.
That places Zambia 11th out of 182 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 21 years of available data.
Share of calories from cereals, roots, and tubers vs. GDP per capita in Zambia, year by year
| Year | percent | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 76 percent | — |
| 2002 | 77 percent | +1.3% |
| 2003 | 76 percent | -1.3% |
| 2004 | 75 percent | -1.3% |
| 2005 | 74 percent | -1.3% |
| 2006 | 75 percent | +1.4% |
| 2007 | 75 percent | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 74 percent | -1.3% |
| 2009 | 72 percent | -2.7% |
| 2010 | 70 percent | -2.8% |
| 2011 | 67 percent | -4.3% |
| 2012 | 67 percent | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 68 percent | +1.5% |
| 2014 | 68 percent | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 69 percent | +1.5% |
| 2016 | 69 percent | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 70 percent | +1.4% |
| 2018 | 72 percent | +2.9% |
| 2019 | 72 percent | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 72 percent | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 70 percent | -2.8% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 70 percent is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 56 percent, 1.2× the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 70 percent is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 58 percent, 1.2× the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 74.89 percent | 72 percent | 77 percent | 9 |
| 2010s | 69.2 percent | 67 percent | 72 percent | 10 |
| 2020s | 71 percent | 70 percent | 72 percent | 2 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 9 Afghanistan 71 percent compare
- 9 Sierra Leone 71 percent compare
- 11 Côte d'Ivoire 70 percent compare
- 13 Togo 69 percent compare
- 14 Lao People's Democratic Republic 68 percent compare
- 14 Korea, Democratic People's Republic of 68 percent compare
More energy & mining data for Zambia
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate 0.0312 % change on previous year (2024)
- Coal consumption, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Coal consumption, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary energy use, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary energy use, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Coal production, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Coal production, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Fuel imports 22.9% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of calories from cereals, roots, and tubers vs. gdp per capita in Zambia?
- Share of calories from cereals, roots, and tubers vs. gdp per capita in Zambia was 70 percent in 2021, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of calories from cereals, roots, and tubers vs. gdp per capita recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 77 percent in 2002.
- What is the lowest share of calories from cereals, roots, and tubers vs. gdp per capita recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 67 percent in 2011.
- How does Zambia rank for share of calories from cereals, roots, and tubers vs. gdp per capita?
- Zambia ranks 11th out of 182 countries with data for 2021.
- Is share of calories from cereals, roots, and tubers vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of calories from cereals, roots, and tubers vs. GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 21 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
A high share of calories from cereals, roots and tubers typically represents lower dietary diversity. GDP per capita is adjusted for inflation and differences in living costs between countries.