Average Social Media Manager Salary in Lusaka, Zambia for 2026

In this article, we will look at the average Social Media Manager 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 Social Media Manager Make in Lusaka?

A Social Media Manager working in Lusaka will typically earn around 95,600 ZMW per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 49,700 ZMW to the highest average salary of 152,100 ZMW.

Average Annual Salary95,600 ZMW
Average Monthly Salary7,966 ZMW
Average Lowest Salary49,700 ZMW
Lowest Monthly Salary4,141 ZMW
Average Highest Salary152,100 ZMW
Highest Monthly Salary12,675 ZMW

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

Social Media Manager 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 Social Media Manager Salaries in Lusaka

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

Salary ranges

We already know that a Social Media Manager can earn between 49,700 ZMW and 152,100 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 Social Media Manager in Lusaka is 95,600 ZMW. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 95,600 ZMW, and 50% of the population earn more than 95,600 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 Social Media Manager salary in Lusaka, 25% of the population are earning less than 66,940 ZMW while 75% of the population earn more than 66,940 ZMW.

75% of the population earn less than 125,100 ZMW, and 25% of the population earn more than 125,100 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.

Social Media Manager 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 Social Media Manager 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 Social Media Manager in Lusaka that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 57,620 ZMW.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Social Media Manager salary would increase to 76,280 ZMW.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Social Media Manager, the average salary would be 104,600 ZMW.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 125,100 ZMW.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Social Media Manager with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 134,600 ZMW.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a Social Media Manager with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 143,200 ZMW.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years-
57,620 ZMW
2-5 Years+32%
76,280 ZMW
5-10 Years+34%
104,600 ZMW
10-15 Years+19%
125,100 ZMW
15-20 Years+8%
134,600 ZMW
20+ Years+7%
143,200 ZMW

Social Media Manager 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 Social Media Manager 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 Social Media Manager in Lusaka with a high school education can earn an average salary of 71,280 ZMW.
  • Certificate or Diploma. A Social Media Manager in Lusaka with a certificate or diploma education can earn an average salary of 83,200 ZMW.
  • Bachelor's Degree. A Social Media Manager in Lusaka with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 113,220 ZMW.
  • Master's Degree. A Social Media Manager in Lusaka with a master's degree education can earn an average salary of 143,200 ZMW.

Average Salary by Education Chart

High School-
71,280 ZMW
Certificate or Diploma+14%
83,200 ZMW
Bachelor's Degree+36%
113,220 ZMW
Master's Degree+26%
143,200 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.

Social Media Manager 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 social media manager will earn an average of 92,880 ZMW, while a female social media manager will earn around 84,740 ZMW.

This means that a male social media manager earns approximately 10% more than a female social media manager for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in Lusaka

Male-
92,880 ZMW
Female-10%
84,740 ZMW

Social Media Manager 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 Social Media Manager in Lusaka is around 8% every 29 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 = ( 8 ÷ 29 ) × 12  = 3%

What this means is that a Social Media Manager 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%

Social Media Manager 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 Social Media Manager is a moderate bonus based job, with 65% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

35% 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 5% to 9%.

Received Bonus-
65%
No Bonus-
35%

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 Social Media Manager

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

Job TitleCategorySalary
Advertising Account ExecutiveAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events80,020 ZMW
Advertising Account ManagerAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events87,760 ZMW
Advertising Account PlannerAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events44,180 ZMW
Advertising CoordinatorAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events61,180 ZMW
Advertising ManagerAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events113,420 ZMW
Advertising Operations ManagerAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events123,400 ZMW
Advertising Sales DirectorAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events129,000 ZMW
Advertising Strategic PlannerAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events78,620 ZMW
Advertising Team LeaderAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events69,040 ZMW
Advertising and Promotions ManagerAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events119,700 ZMW
AnimatorAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events49,200 ZMW
Art DirectorAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events70,840 ZMW
Art ManagerAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events72,360 ZMW
ArtistAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events60,600 ZMW
ArtworkerAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events44,300 ZMW
Assistant Art DirectorAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events54,140 ZMW
Audio EngineerAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events50,340 ZMW
Audio and Video Equipment TechnicianAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events41,820 ZMW
Audiosual TechnicianAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events42,400 ZMW
Broadcast AdministratorAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events78,500 ZMW
Catering SalesAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events46,720 ZMW
Catering TrainerAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events53,320 ZMW
Commercial and Industrial DesignerAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events43,220 ZMW
Conference OrganiserAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events51,900 ZMW
Content and Media Production LeadAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events79,260 ZMW
CopyWriterAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events48,820 ZMW
Creative DesignerAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events55,220 ZMW
Creative DirectorAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events70,880 ZMW
Designer Advertising / Graphic Design / Events42,460 ZMW
Desktop PublisherAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events31,980 ZMW
Digital Campaign ManagerAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events72,740 ZMW
Digital Media ManagerAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events85,020 ZMW
Digital Media StrategistAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events88,020 ZMW
Director of EventsAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events123,400 ZMW
Director of Graphic DesignAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events64,180 ZMW
Director of Social Media MarketingAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events96,600 ZMW
Events DirectorAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events119,860 ZMW
Events and Promotions ManagerAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events116,180 ZMW
Exhibit DesignerAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events57,360 ZMW
Exhibit Display CoordinatorAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events57,900 ZMW
Exhibit Display ManagerAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events73,040 ZMW
FinisherAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events38,680 ZMW
Graphic ArtistAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events44,720 ZMW
Graphic Design SpecialistAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events55,140 ZMW
Graphic DesignerAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events45,000 ZMW
Graphics ArtistAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events48,340 ZMW
Graphics Design SupervisorAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events64,040 ZMW
Group Creative DirectorAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events78,160 ZMW
Imagery AnalystAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events42,400 ZMW
Imaging TechnologistAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events44,800 ZMW
Interaction DesignerAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events38,680 ZMW
Media AnalystAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events54,560 ZMW
Media ExecutiveAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events77,620 ZMW
Media PlannerAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events57,900 ZMW
Media Production CoordinatorAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events57,360 ZMW
Media Production ManagerAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events93,220 ZMW
Media Project ManagerAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events97,260 ZMW
Media Relations RepresentativeAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events79,240 ZMW
Media Sales ExecutiveAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events94,800 ZMW
Meeting and Event PlannerAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events53,860 ZMW
Multimedia ArtistAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events48,820 ZMW
Multimedia SpecialistAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events44,800 ZMW
PPC Campaign ManagerAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events73,020 ZMW
PhotographerAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events41,980 ZMW
Print Production ManagerAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events82,920 ZMW
Product and Brand ManagerAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events110,340 ZMW
Sales Promotion ManagerAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events112,440 ZMW
Search Engine Optimization Specialist (SEO)Advertising / Graphic Design / Events50,520 ZMW
Sketch ArtistAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events53,660 ZMW
Social Media ExecutiveAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events92,720 ZMW
Social Media Marketing ManagerAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events88,300 ZMW
Social Media StrategistAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events96,720 ZMW
Special Events SupervisorAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events70,940 ZMW
Technical TypistAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events32,960 ZMW
UX DesignerAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events43,480 ZMW
User Experience UX DesignerAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events48,300 ZMW

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