Average Barber Salary in Lusaka, Zambia for 2026

In this article, we will look at the average Barber salary for 2026 in Lusaka and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!

The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.

All salary information is in the local currency, which is the Zambian kwacha. To keep things simple, we are using the ZMW currency code instead of the currency symbol ZK.

How Much Does a Barber Make in Lusaka?

A Barber working in Lusaka will typically earn around 31,520 ZMW per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 15,760 ZMW to the highest average salary of 50,180 ZMW.

Average Annual Salary31,520 ZMW
Average Monthly Salary2,626 ZMW
Average Lowest Salary15,760 ZMW
Lowest Monthly Salary1,313 ZMW
Average Highest Salary50,180 ZMW
Highest Monthly Salary4,181 ZMW

These are average salaries for a Barber in Lusaka and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for a Barber to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Barber salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.

Distribution of Barber Salaries in Lusaka

So we've looked at the average salaries a Barber will earn in Lusaka. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that a Barber can earn between 15,760 ZMW and 50,180 ZMW on average in Lusaka. This is known as the range in statistics.

The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.

Median salary

The median salary for a Barber in Lusaka is 35,340 ZMW. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 35,340 ZMW, and 50% of the population earn more than 35,340 ZMW.

If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.

If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).

Percentiles

Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.

For the average Barber salary in Lusaka, 25% of the population are earning less than 21,980 ZMW while 75% of the population earn more than 21,980 ZMW.

75% of the population earn less than 46,400 ZMW, and 25% of the population earn more than 46,400 ZMW.

Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.

The difference between a median and an average salary

The median and average salary are both indicators you can use to see if you are being paid fairly based on the overall population.

  • If your salary is higher than the average and the median salary, you are earning well compared to others.
  • If your salary is lower than the average and the median salary, it could indicate you are not being paid well enough.
  • If you are somewhere in between then it's tricky to determine if you are being paid well enough and you might need to research more closely.

Barber Salary by Experience Level in Lusaka

The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.

We have researched the average Barber salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.

  • 0 - 2 Years Experience. A Barber in Lusaka that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 20,300 ZMW.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Barber salary would increase to 27,300 ZMW.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Barber, the average salary would be 33,980 ZMW.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 43,220 ZMW.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Barber with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 43,760 ZMW.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a Barber with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 50,080 ZMW.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years-
20,300 ZMW
2-5 Years+42%
27,300 ZMW
5-10 Years+32%
33,980 ZMW
10-15 Years+23%
43,220 ZMW
15-20 Years+6%
43,760 ZMW
20+ Years+10%
50,080 ZMW

Barber Salary by Education Level in Lusaka

As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?

In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.

The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.

In our research, we looked at the average salary for a Barber in Lusaka based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • High School. A Barber in Lusaka with a high school education can earn an average salary of 23,360 ZMW.
  • Certificate or Diploma. A Barber in Lusaka with a certificate or diploma education can earn an average salary of 41,480 ZMW.

Average Salary by Education Chart

High School-
23,360 ZMW
Certificate or Diploma+72%
41,480 ZMW

How Much is a Master's Degree or MBA Program?

The approximate cost of a master's degree or post-graduate program like an MBA in Zambia is around 30,000 to 90,000 ZMW and takes two years to complete.

As you can see above, there are financial benefits from reaching master's degree level, but don't expect to see much of a salary increase until you have completed the degree.

It's common for people to pursue an MBA or other post-graduate program in order to switch to a a job that pays more. On average, you can expect to earn around 10% more when switching to a new company.

Whether you decide to pursue a master's degree depends on many factors. If you are able to afford it, the numbers suggest that the return on investment is worth it and you could recover the costs in a few years from the salary increase you would receive.

Barber Salary Compared by Gender

In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.

In Lusaka, a male barber will earn an average of 25,720 ZMW, while a female barber will earn around 28,860 ZMW.

This means that a male barber earns approximately 11% less than a female barber for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in Lusaka

Male-
25,720 ZMW
Female+11%
28,860 ZMW

Barber Average Pay Raise in Lusaka

In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.

From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for a Barber in Lusaka is around 6% every 28 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in Zambia is around 5% every 28 months.

In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.

To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:

Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12

So for this example, it would be:

Annual Increase = ( 6 ÷ 28 ) × 12  = 3%

What this means is that a Barber in Lusaka can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 3% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in Lusaka for 2026

In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in Zambia.

You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.

Banking-
8%
Energy-
7%
Information Technology-
6%
Healthcare-
5%
Travel-
4%
Construction-
3%
Education-
2%

Barber Bonus and Incentive Rates in Lusaka

Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.

Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.

A Barber is a low bonus based job, with 14% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

86% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.

For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 0% to 4%.

Received Bonus-
14%
No Bonus-
86%

What are the Types of Bonus?

There are a number of difference types of bonus you can receive in a job. Including:

  • Individual performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee for general performance in the job. It's the most common type of bonus.
  • Company performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to a company employees to share profit with the staff.
  • Goal based bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee (or a team) for achieving specific goals, objectives, or milestones.
  • Holiday bonus - This type of bonus is usually paid around the holidays, often the end of the year, and is a token of appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.

Government vs Private Sector Salaries

Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.

Public sector employees in Zambia earn approximately 21% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector-
80,180 ZMW
Private Sector-21%
66,260 ZMW

Salaries for Jobs Similar to a Barber

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to a Barber in Lusaka.

Job TitleCategorySalary
Alterations SpecialistFashion and Apparel31,540 ZMW
Bench JewelerFashion and Apparel22,400 ZMW
Clothing and Textile TechnologistFashion and Apparel64,920 ZMW
Cosmetology EducatorFashion and Apparel72,120 ZMW
Diamond SetterFashion and Apparel31,180 ZMW
Diamond WorkerFashion and Apparel39,160 ZMW
Fabric ManagerFashion and Apparel75,100 ZMW
Fashion Design ManagerFashion and Apparel107,900 ZMW
Fashion DesignerFashion and Apparel94,400 ZMW
Fashion MerchandiserFashion and Apparel46,980 ZMW
Fashion ModelFashion and Apparel64,620 ZMW
Freelance Fashion StylistFashion and Apparel102,620 ZMW
Garment TechnologistFashion and Apparel57,620 ZMW
HairstylistFashion and Apparel31,520 ZMW
JewelerFashion and Apparel55,140 ZMW
Jewelry Mold MakerFashion and Apparel40,420 ZMW
Jewelry PolisherFashion and Apparel25,940 ZMW
Jewelry SalesFashion and Apparel47,540 ZMW
Plating ManagerFashion and Apparel79,280 ZMW
Product Development ManagerFashion and Apparel136,100 ZMW
Sewing Machine OperatorFashion and Apparel21,400 ZMW
Shoe SalesFashion and Apparel31,980 ZMW
Supply Chain ManagerFashion and Apparel117,440 ZMW
Tailor / FitterFashion and Apparel29,320 ZMW
Trend ForecasterFashion and Apparel67,120 ZMW
Visual Merchandising CoordinatorFashion and Apparel50,980 ZMW
Visual Merchandising Projects ManagerFashion and Apparel97,640 ZMW

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