Health Record Rights Index · country brief · this country's data as of October 1, 2026
Who holds the health record in Zambia?
In 2026, Zambia scores 41 out of 100 for how much say a person has over their own health record. It is tied for 91st of 198 countries and territories, and could rank anywhere from 66th to 114th allowing for scoring error, in the Weak band (25 to 44). Who holds the keys: the government. Source: Health Record Rights Index, SuperTruth, this country's data as of October 1, 2026.
The government decides, with limited say for the person. Its strongest right, compared with the typical country, is one record across your care (45 out of 100, against 38 for the typical country). No right falls below the typical country; the closest to it is control over who sees it (30 out of 100, against 30 for the typical country).
A government-run national health record now reaches most public clinics, but patients have no portal, no opt-out and no view of who opened their file.
Published · updated · this country's data as of October 1, 2026 · research tool, not legal advice
overall score · Weak band, 25 to 44
41/100
rank among 198 countries and territories; likely 66th to 114th, allowing for scoring error
Low confidence. Thin evidence on 4 of the 8 rights: privacy, joined-up record, sale and ads and doctors see it. The evidence grade rates all our sources together; confidence looks at each right. Neither changes the score.
Questions people ask
Can I see my health record in Zambia?
In 2026, getting your full record scores 45 out of 100 in Zambia; the typical country scores 40 to 45. The Data Protection Act 2021 gives a right to a copy, which may be free for the first copy and comes in electronic format on request, but sets no deadline. We found no patient portal, so people ask each facility. Source: National Assembly of Zambia, 2021, and the other sources below.
Who controls health records in Zambia?
In 2026, the government holds the keys to your health record in Zambia. Control over who sees it scores 30 out of 100 in Zambia; the typical country scores 30. Health data may be processed without consent for care and for managing health systems, and the national SmartCare record is shared across public facilities by default. We found no patient opt-out and no patient-visible access log. Source: National Assembly of Zambia, 2021, and the other sources below.
How does Zambia compare?
In 2026, Zambia scores 41 out of 100, against 39 for the typical country. This brief compares it with Mauritius (41 out of 100), Tanzania (41 out of 100) and Malawi (40 out of 100). Source: the ranking of all 198 countries and territories.
Eight rights, compared with Mauritius, Tanzania, Malawi and the typical country
Scores out of 100, by right
Getting your full record20%
45
50 · 35 · 50
Control over who sees it20%
30
32 · 30 · 30
Privacy and security15%
48
55 · 48 · 50
One record across your care15%
45
30 · 48 · 40
Protection from sale and ads10%
45
45 · 45 · 42
Doctors see it when treating you10%
40
30 · 40 · 30
Your say over research use5%
50
49 · 46 · 49
Rules for AI in your care5%
30
28 · 58 · 25
Black dot: Zambia. Hollow dots: Mauritius, Tanzania, Malawi (scores out of 100 on the right, same order). Gray line: the typical country of all 198. Overall: Zambia 41 out of 100. Scores move in steps of about 5 points, so read a rank with its likely range.
What would Zambia need to change to score higher?
Zambia sits in Weak (25 to 44); Mixed starts at 45. Every right is at or above the typical country. The two with the most room to grow, weighted by how much each counts, are control over who sees it (30 out of 100, against 30 for the typical country) and getting your full record (45 out of 100, against 40 to 45 for the typical country). Our scoring rules give more points for:
Control over who sees it: A way to say no to sharing (or to be asked first), a log you can read of who opened your record, and finer choices about who sees what. Together these put this right at 60 to 80 out of 100.
Getting your full record: A national portal that shows most people at least part of their record (a summary, prescriptions, lab results) puts this right at 60 to 75 out of 100. A near-full record that you can download, with a long history and used by most people, puts it at 76 to 90.
Which laws give health record rights in Zambia?
Data Protection Act No. 3 of 2021: Health is sensitive data; access, objection and portability rights; 24-hour breach notice; local storage of sensitive data.
National Health Research Act No. 2 of 2013: Ethics approval, participant consent, sample transfer rules and misconduct penalties for health research.
Cyber Security Act, 2025: Creates a Cyber Security Agency, critical information infrastructure rules and a monitoring centre; replaces the 2021 Act.
Doctors, waits and private care context, not part of the score
Doctors per 10,000
1.6 2024
Nurses and midwives per 10,000
16.7 2024
Private insurance + out-of-pocket
10.4% 2023
Record reaches private care?
unknown
Real cases
December 10, 2024 · High Court for Zambia (Judiciary of Zambia) Court finds a hospital form was corrected improperly but rules the error harmless
May 2026 · National Assembly of Zambia, Public Accounts Committee (report on the Auditor General's 2024 accounts) Health ministry staff shared passwords to the national patient record system
In 2026, Zambia scored 41 out of 100 for how much say a person has over their own health record, tied for 91st of 198 countries and territories (could be 66th to 114th), in the Weak band. Who holds the keys: the government. Source: Health Record Rights Index, SuperTruth, this country's data as of October 1, 2026, https://healthrecordrights.com/brief/zambia/
The 15 sources for Zambia
Each source appears once, under the first right it supports. Titles are shown as our research agents recorded them, usually in the page's own language; text in square brackets is our machine translation. Links were checked on the date shown.
Getting your full record (2 sources)
“Data Protection Act No. 3 of 2021”
National Assembly of Zambia (law or regulation) · Title in English
Dated 2021 · Link checked October 3, 2026 (opened)
Used for: Getting your full record; Control over who sees it; Privacy and security; Protection from sale and ads; Your say over research use
SuperTruth Inc. · 24 S. 24th St., Philadelphia, PA 19103, USA · +1 215 918 4140 · supertruth.ai Something wrong? Tell us · Questions or a briefing: supertruth.ai/on-the-record#contact · Full index: healthrecordrights.com
OECD: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (38 mostly high-income countries). DTI™: the Data Trust Index, which grades the evidence behind each score. SuperTruth makes it and publishes this index. Everything here comes from public information: laws, government and regulator pages, court decisions, published news, WHO, OECD and World Bank data. Full sources: https://healthrecordrights.com/brief/zambia/#sources. SuperTruth built this index and sells health data verification products; no one paid to be included. Research tool, not legal advice. Our scores and our own words are CC BY 4.0; quoted law and source titles stay with their owners.
