Zambia

Zambia's progress towards the MDGs is captured in the National Millennium Goals Progress Reports. In addition to statistics, the reports contain projections on how likely the MDGs will be met. These projections are developed through a broad participatory process, where government civil society, private sector and various development partners come together to compare the statistics on the basis of such indicators as availability of supporting environment, prospects for economic growth, debt relief and aid.  

Read how UNDP supports Zambia to reach MDGs.

These targets and indicators below have been localized for Zambia. For global targets and indicators, click here.  

MDG1: Reducing poverty and hunger by half by 2015

There have been marginal improvements in the incidence of extreme poverty from 58% in 1991 to 51% in 2006-still along way from MDG target of 29%. As the supportive environment is strong, Zambia has however the potential to reach this target. On the target of halving the proportion of people who suffer from hunger, the prevalence of underweight children declined from 22% in 1991 to 14.6% in 2007. Thanks to the strong supportive environment it is likely that the target will be achieved.

Target 1: Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people living in extreme poverty
Will target be met: POTENTIALLY
Supportive environment:STRONG

Target 2: Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people who suffer from hunger
Will target be met: LIKELY
Supportive environment: STRONG

MDG2: Ensuring all children complete primary education by 2015

Net enrolment has increased from 80% in 1990 to 97% in 2006 as a result of strong supportive environment. Zambia achieved an increase of 19% in primary school completion rates from 64% in 1990 to 83% in 2006. This goal is likely to be achieved, however, the decline in literacy rates of 15-24 year olds (79% in 1990, 70% in 2004) needs to be addressed in order to achieve this goal.

Target 3: ensure that, by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling
Will target be met: LIKELY
Supportive environment: STRONG

MDG3: Increasing gender equality and empowering women by 2015

This goal is likely to be met, despite an only fair supportive environment recorded in this area. The trend show a growth in the enrolment of girls in the school system, which stands at 98% while that of males is 96%. However, the drop out rate of grils increase as their proceed to secondary education, therefore the ratio of girls to boys decrease sharply. The ratio of literate females to males (15-24 year olds) is stagnating at 0.8 (2004-2005).

Target 4: Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education preferably by 2005 and to all levels of education no later than 2015.
Will target be met: LIKELY
Supportive environment: GOOD/FAIR

MDG4: Reducing child mortality by two-thirds by 2015

Zambia is aiming at reducing the number of children who die before their fifth birthday. Out of every 100,000 births from 191 children in 1992 to 56 children in 2015, with 119 deaths per 100,000 births in 2007, Zambia is potentially achieving this goal. Infant mortality has also shown a declining trend since 1992. The reduction in schild mortality is mainly attributed to the strong supportive environment that Zambia has put in place, such as improved childhood immunization. 

Target 5: Reduce by two-thirds, between 1990 and 2015, the under-five mortality rate.
Will target be met: POTENTIALLY
Supportive environment: STRONG

MDG5: Reducing maternal mortality by three quarters by 2015

To achieve this goal, Zambia needs to reduce the number of women dying due to complicated pregnancies from 649 (in 1996) to 162 (2015) out of every 100,000 expectant women. Due to the strong supportive environment, Zambia managed to decrease the number to 449 in 2007 and will potentially achieve the target. Despite this achievement, there still a lot to do, as only 46% of all births were attended i 2007 by skilled health personnel.

Target 6: Reduce by three-quarters, between 1990 and 2015, the maternal mortality rate.
Will target be met: POTENTIALLY
Supportive environment: STRONG

MDG6: Stemming the spread of HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases by 2015 

It is likely that Zambia would have halted and have started to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS by 2015. The national HIV prevalence rate among adults (15-49 years) has declined from 15.6% in 2001/2002 to 14.3% in 2007. However women have a higher infection rate than men, and the urban population has rates twice as high than the rural. The drop in HIV prevalence rates is largely attributed to the good supportive environment. Improvements have been noted for example in the percentage of pregnant women and children under-five who sleep under insecticide treated bed nets  for children under-five rose from 7.9 in 2001 to 32.7% in 2007.    

Target 7: Have halted, by 2015, and begun to reverse the spread of HIV and AIDS
Will target be met: LIKELY
Supportive environment: GOOD/FAIR

Target 8: Have halted, by 2015, and begun to reverse, the incidence of malaria and other major diseases.
Will target be met: POTENTIALLY
Supportive environment: GOOD/FAIR

MDG7: Ensure environmental sustainability

The target on including environmental principles into Zambia's policies and programs and reversing the loss of its environmemtal resources is the only unlikely goal to be achieved. However, the possibility that Zambia will reach the target of improved water and sanitation services seem potentially achievable. Both targets are backed by only good/fair supportive environment.

Target 9: Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programmes and reverse the loss of environmental  resources.
Will target be met: UNLIKELY
Supportive environment: GOOD/FAIR

Target 10: Halve, by 2015, the proportion of the population without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation.
Will target be met: POTENTIALLY
Supportive environment: GOOD/FAIR

MDG8: Developing a global partnership for development 

The hignly idebted poor country Initiative (HIPC) and Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative (MDRI) have contributed a lot towards Zambia's achievement of the MDGs. Besides debt relief, and more efficient aid (Official Development Assistance-ODA), increased trade is required to support the acheivement of all the MDG. One of the challenges to trade in Zambia are supply, side-constraints, such as the problem of transportation, storage and communication. Further, Zambian exporters face the challenge to conform with sanitary and phytosanitary conditions of the United States and the European Union. It is therefore necessay that trade policies address these constraints.