Latest updates on country situation
05 March 2024
On 29 February 2024, Zambia's President Hakainde Hichilema declared the current drought a national disaster resulting from the impact of El Niño on the country's 2023–2024 rainy season. About six million people in 84 of the country’s 116 districts in Central, Copperbelt, Eastern, Lusaka, North-Western, Southern, and Western provinces have been affected. (UNICEF 04/03/2024, The Maravi Post 05/03/2024)
01 February 2024
Since its declaration in Lusaka in October 2023, the cholera outbreak in Zambia has escalated into a severe public health emergency. As at 26 January 2024, the outbreak had affected all ten provinces of the country, with 14,900 reported cases and 560 deaths, creating a case fatality rate of 3.8%. (WHO 27/01/2024, BBC 31/01/2024)
10 January 2024
Since January 2023, Zambia has been experiencing a cholera outbreak, with a new outbreak reported in Lusaka in October. As at 11 January 2024, a cumulative 8,276 cases and 333 deaths had been recorded, with Lusaka having 94% of confirmed cases and 97% of deaths. The outbreak has spread to 39 districts in nine of ten provinces. (Zambian MOH 14/12/2023, ECHO 12/01/2024)
13 November 2023
According to IPC projections, food security is expected to worsen between October 2023 and March 2024. Food insecurity is driven by food commodity prices that are expected to remain higher than the five-year average, a decrease in job opportunities, the impacts of the ongoing Ukraine/Russia conflict, and the delayed onset of rains due to the El Niño phenomena. Approximately 2.04 million people (23% of the population assessed) will face acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 and above). The number of districts anticipated to face IPC Phase 3 food insecurity is expected to increase to 67 from 45 in the August-September period. The western and southern as well as parts of the eastern provinces are likely to be the most affected due to preexisting food, water, and pasture shortages. Food insecure households require food and cash support, increased access to income, and improved dietary choices.
(IPC 13/11/2023)
current crises
in
Zambia
These crises have been identified through the INFORM Severity Index, a tool for measuring and comparing the severity of humanitarian crises globally.
REG012 - Southern Africa Regional Food Security Crisis
Last updated 30/03/2024
Drivers
Crisis level
Regional
Severity level
3.9 High
Access constraints
4.0
ZMB002 - Drought
Last updated 30/03/2024
Drivers
Drought
Crisis level
Country
Severity level
3.3 High
Access constraints
1.0
Analysis products
on
Zambia
15 March 2024
Zambia: impact of drought
DOCUMENT / PDF / 509 KB
On 29 February 2024, Zambia declared a national emergency as a result of a prolonged drought. As at 1 March, the drought was affecting 84 of the 116 districts across Zambia’s Central, Copperbelt, Eastern, Lusaka, Northwestern, Southern, and Western provinces. Climate change and El Niño are driving such drought conditions.
11 July 2019
Zambia: drought in the Southern province
DOCUMENT / PDF / 493 KB
Zambia is currently experiencing a prolonged drought largely as a result of below-average precipitation from the seasonal rains (November-March). The significant rainfall deficit, especially noticeable in Southern and Western provinces, has resulted in decreased agricultural production. Consequently, households are sharply depleting food stocks and are increasingly dependent on market purchases, driving up the prices of staple foods such as maize.
13 October 2017
Zambia:Influx of refugees from DRC
DOCUMENT / PDF / 307 KB
Over 3,360 refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo fled into Zambia between 30 August and 3 October 2017. The refugees have been fleeing inter-ethnic conflicts as well as clashes between government forces and armed militias in Haut-Katanga province. Several of them have reported extreme brutality committed by all parties against civilians.