Zambia Civil Registration

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Zambia

Civil Registration

How to Find the Records

Birth certificates can be ordered from the Registrar General by any person born on or after 1 January 1973. Copies of marriage certificates for marriages in Zambia can be requested from the Registrar General. The next of kin of persons whose death was registered in Zambia can apply for a certificate by writing to the Registrar General.

Offices to Contact

Registrar General of Births, Deaths & Marriages
P. O. Box 32311
Lusaka, Zambia
Telephone: +260 211 236427 or +260 211 221128

Embassy of the Republc of Zambia, Washington, D.C. (for those living abroad in the United States)

Historical Background

• 1898 - European, Aliens and Coloured births and deaths registration Act of 12 June, 1898
• 1908 - Records begin
• 1973 - Births and Deaths Registration Act (all births, still births and deaths to be registered beginning March 1973
• 2016 - Computer registration/standardization of records

Coverage and Compliance

Not all events were recorded. Civil registration was supposed to be mandatory but in practice was voluntary. There were no penalties for not registering. Before March 2016 about 4% of deaths were registered. In 1994 overall registration was estimated to have been about 80%.

	1983	2016
Births	20,896	no data in source used	no data in source used
Marriages	829	no data in source used	no data in source used
Deaths	595	818	41,000
Population	about 6 million	about 15 million	about 16 million

Information Recorded in the Records

Births

Birth certificate forms included these fields in 1994:

• Number of entry in register
• Date of birth
• Details of child: name, race, sex
• Place of birth: Town (where applicable, district, province
• Details of mother: age, number of children previously born alive (still living, now dead)
• Mother's usual place of residence: town (where applicable, district, province
• Circumstances of birth: In hospital/clinic/rural health centre; At home attended by trained medical personnel; At home not attended by trained medical personnel; Other

Marriages

Marriage certificate forms included these fields in 1994:

• Number of entry in register
• Date of registration
• Date of marriage
• Husband's name; race; age; whether first marriage (yes/no); occupation
• Wife's name; race; age; whether first marriage (yes/no); occupation
• Place of marriage: province; district; town; registrar; church

Deaths

Death certificate forms included these fields in 1994:

• Number of entry in register
• Date of registration
• Date of death
• Details of decendent: African/European/Asian/Coloured or Mixed; sex; year; month; day; single/married/widowed/divorced; occupation
• Place of death: province; district; town
• Circumstances of death: Hospital/Clinic/Rural Health Centre; Home attended; Home not attended; Other
• Causes of death: direct; antecendent; other significant conditions; statistical classification
• Usual place of residence