Zambia's Population and Culture

Zambia has a population of 13 million people, growing 3 % annually(Culture Grams). More then half of the people live in rural areas, and also half their population is under the age of 15! There is a very small amount of white people that live in Zambia, 99.5 % of the population is African. There is over 70 ethnic groups that live in Zambia, of those 70 the largest are the Bemba, Nyanja, Tonga, and the Lozi.

English is the official language of Zambia, it’s spoken in government and schools. Although english is the official language there is many more considering there is 70 different ethnic groups. The most common religion is a mix of indigenous beliefs and Christianity. Statistics estimate that between 50 and 70 % of Zambian people belief in Christianity. Muslim and Hindu are the second religions practiced by those who don’t believe in Christianity.

Primary school starts at age seven and lasts seven years. Most kids who start school end up completing it. After primary school there is secondary school, this school lasts for five years. Although lots of families would like to send their kids to school, many can’t because of the expense. After you finish secondary school there is many universities that you can go to, but again it’s pricey. Health care in Zambia is not the best, like a lot of African countries. Now healthcare is free in rural areas because people that could not afford it before would die from treatable diseases.

Traditional music is very popular in rural areas. There are many dances that go along with these songs, including the ngoma which is a dance performed by the Ngoni people. Instruments played in Zambia include xylophones, drums, and the kalimba which is like a guitar. Families in Zambia usually have around eight people in a house. Like many other African countries a lot of families live with or very close to their extended family. The father in the family is the breadwinner, while the mothers usually clean, cook, and take care of the kids. Many kids love to play soccer when they have free time, they also play checkers and mankala. The average family in Zambia have one meal at dinner time and snacks throughout the day, including fruit, sugar cane, peanuts, and corn. The dinner usually consists of vegetables and rice.