Salaries in Zambia by type of job
What employees in Zambia earn in each of the International Labour Organization's broad job groups, from Labour Force Survey (2024).
| Job group | Median a year, with likely range |
|---|---|
| Managers ZK 8,890 a month (published median) | ZK 107,000 ZK 54,300 to ZK 210,000 |
| Professionals ZK 8,000 a month (published median) | ZK 96,000 ZK 64,600 to ZK 143,000 |
| Technicians and associate professionals ZK 7,060 a month (published median) | ZK 84,800 ZK 53,100 to ZK 135,000 |
| Clerical support workers ZK 4,540 a month (published median) | ZK 54,500 ZK 31,900 to ZK 93,200 |
| Service and sales workers ZK 2,200 a month (published median) | ZK 26,400 ZK 13,700 to ZK 50,700 |
| Craft and related trades workers ZK 3,000 a month (published median) | ZK 36,000 ZK 20,200 to ZK 64,100 |
| Plant and machine operators and assemblers ZK 3,150 a month (published median) | ZK 37,800 ZK 21,700 to ZK 65,700 |
| Elementary occupations ZK 1,200 a month (published median) | ZK 14,400 ZK 8,220 to ZK 25,200 |
ILOSTAT publishes the median monthly pay of each group and a Gini index of how unevenly it is spread, not percentiles. The yearly median is the monthly figure times 12. The likely range (25th to 75th percentile) comes from a log-normal curve through the median and the Gini index. Figures are 2024 ZMW, rounded to three significant figures.
Which jobs are in each group
ILOSTAT reports pay by group (ISCO-08), not by single job, so every job in a group shares its figure. The jobs from the app in each group:
- Managers: project manager, marketing manager, general / operations manager.
- Professionals: software developer, web developer, data scientist, network / systems administrator, registered nurse, family doctor / GP, pharmacist, dentist, physical therapist / physiotherapist, psychologist, social worker, veterinarian, elementary school teacher, high school teacher, accountant / auditor, financial analyst, actuary, HR specialist, management consultant / analyst, lawyer, mechanical engineer, civil engineer, electrical engineer, architect, graphic designer.
- Technicians and associate professionals: IT support specialist, dental hygienist, paramedic, sales representative (B2B), paralegal, airline pilot, chef / head cook, real estate agent.
- Clerical support workers: bookkeeper, customer service representative, administrative assistant.
- Service and sales workers: nursing assistant, retail salesperson, cashier, police officer, firefighter, cook, hairdresser / stylist, childcare worker.
- Craft and related trades workers: electrician, plumber, carpenter, welder, auto mechanic.
- Plant and machine operators and assemblers: truck driver (heavy).
- Elementary occupations: construction labourer, warehouse worker.
Pay by age
| Age | Median a month | A year |
|---|---|---|
| 15 to 24 | ZK 1,200 | ZK 14,400 |
| 25 to 34 | ZK 2,000 | ZK 24,000 |
| 35 to 44 | ZK 4,140 | ZK 49,700 |
| 45 to 54 | ZK 5,000 | ZK 60,000 |
| 55 to 64 | ZK 4,180 | ZK 50,200 |
All employees. ILOSTAT EAR_EMTM_SEX_AGE_NB, 2024.
Pay by education
How much more employees earn at the median than those whose highest level is upper secondary school.
| Highest education | Pay difference |
|---|---|
| Short-cycle tertiary | +133% |
| Bachelor's or equivalent | +183% |
| Master's or equivalent | +400% |
ILOSTAT EAR_EMTM_SEX_EDU_NB, 2024. Levels follow ISCED 2011.
Coming soon to Zambia. Salary Predictor for iPhone is on the App Store in the United States, Canada and the UK today. The version with Zambia is on its way.
Sources
- Median monthly earnings of employees by sex and occupation (EAR_EMTM_SEX_OCU_NB). ILOSTAT, International Labour Organization, Latest year per country, 2015-2025.
- Gini index of monthly earnings of employees by sex and occupation (EAR_EMTG_SEX_OCU_NB). ILOSTAT, International Labour Organization, Same survey and year as the pay figure.
- Median monthly earnings of employees by sex and age (EAR_EMTM_SEX_AGE_NB), with Gini index by age (EAR_EMTG_SEX_AGE_NB). ILOSTAT, International Labour Organization, Same survey and year as the pay figure.
- Median monthly earnings of employees by sex and education (EAR_EMTM_SEX_EDU_NB). ILOSTAT, International Labour Organization, Closest year to the pay figure.
- International Standard Classification of Occupations, ISCO-08. International Labour Organization, 2012.
Zambia: Labour Force Survey, 2024. EAR_EMTM_SEX_OCU_NB, ZMW.
Contains data from ILOSTAT, International Labour Organization, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0). Figures were changed: monthly pay x12, and ranges and medians derived through a log-normal curve.