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Every Woman Every Newborn EverywherE
Healthy Futures

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Zambia

Photo © 2022 UNICEF/ Kinny Siakachoma
Registered Nurse assisting a mother setup for Kangaroo Mother Care at the University Teaching Hospital.

Every Woman Every Newborn in Zambia

Download the full profile with additional key demographics, progress against milestones, and more.

This profile was developed in May 2023, using data from 2018-2023. 

Download the full Zambia profile

Photo © 2009 UNICEF/ Christine Nesbitt
Vincent Mumba, newly born, lies on his mother’s chest in the labour ward of the Chelstone Clinic. Martha Mumba, his mother, is HIV-positive and participates in the PMTCT programme at the clinic. Vincent will receive prophylactic ARVs twice a day for the first seven days after birth and, at six weeks, will be tested for HIV.

National mortality targets

Maternal
mortality ratio

100 per 100,000 live births
by 2026

Stillbirth
rate

12 per 1,000 live births
by 2026

Neonatal mortality rate

12 per 1,000 live births
by 2026

Progress to meet the national maternal, newborn mortality and stillbirth reduction targets

Photo © 2023 UNICEF/ Tiwine Muchipa
Mother Mary Zulu (28 years old) and Registered Nurse Faides Zulu (26 years old)

Progress to meet Every Woman Every Newborn Everywhere coverage targets

MNH Acceleration Plan highlights

  • Adopt and implement guidelines for intrapartum care.
  • Build the capacity of primary health care providers and community-based volunteers across prioritized facilities and districts on community-based newborn care.
  • Build the capacity of data managers, programme and facility staff to record and report quality of care indicators.
  • Integrate reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health intervention packages in the national strategy for universal health care.
  • Orient and engage Parliamentarians, traditional leaders and local authorities on Emergency obstetric and newborn care.

Photo © 2023 UNICEF/ Tiwine Muchipa
28 year old mother Mary Zulu with her newborn baby at St Francis Hospital Kangaroo Mother Care unit.

Photo © 2022 UNICEF/ Kinny Siakachoma
Kangaroo Mother Care

Quality of care in Zambia

As part of its efforts to reduce maternal and newborn mortality and stillbirths, Zambia is taking steps to improve the quality of maternal and newborn health. These include:

  • Build capacity of health care providers from hard to reach, prioritized facilities on post-partum haemorrhage prevention and management.
  • Conduct community meetings to review quality of care for reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health
  • Finalize maternal and perinatal death surveillance and response (MPDSR) guidelines and training materials; Build capacity in MPDSR for neonatal intensive care units providers.

News and events

Born Too Soon Supplement launch webinar

June 16, 2025

The Born Too Soon Supplement, a key milestone in global efforts to prevent preterm birth and improve outcomes for newborns and their families. This interactive webinar will introduce the supplement’s main findings and highlight its relevance for researchers, policymakers, and advocates alike.

Read more
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Every Woman Every Newborn EverywherE
Healthy Futures

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Photo © 2020 WHO / Tatiana Almeida
Midwives during WHO Head of Sub-Office Dr Kai von Harbou visit to Hope Field Hospital

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