About

Overview In 2022, Zambia was the number 104 economy in the world in terms of GDP (current US$), the number 88 in total exports, the number 115 in total imports, the number 158 economy in terms of GDP per capita (current US$) and the number 93 most complex economy according to the Economic Complexity Index (ECI) .

Exports The top exports of Zambia are Raw Copper ($6.6B), Refined Copper ($2.78B), Gold ($955M), Precious Stones ($403M), and Ferroalloys ($325M), exporting mostly to Switzerland ($4.5B), China ($2.6B), Democratic Republic of the Congo ($1.51B), Pitcairn Islands ($1.49B), and United Arab Emirates ($1B).

In 2022, Zambia was the world's biggest exporter of Raw Copper ($6.6B)

Imports The top imports of Zambia are Refined Petroleum ($519M), Nitrogenous Fertilizers ($391M), Delivery Trucks ($380M), Copper Ore ($372M), and Packaged Medicaments ($343M), importing mostly from South Africa ($2.69B), Equatorial Guinea ($1.84B), China ($1.38B), United Arab Emirates ($761M), and Democratic Republic of the Congo ($656M).

In 2022, Zambia was the world's biggest importer of Cobalt Oxides and Hydroxides ($250M)

Location Zambia borders Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe by land.

Latest Trends

Latest Trade

Flow
View
Y-AXIS SCALE

The following section uses the most recent trade data from partners of Zambia.

Disclaimer: data is presented based on availability and only countries that use the harmonized system are being shown.

* Trade values are converted to USD using each month's exchange rate. For December 2023 data, the exchange rate from December 30, 2023 is used.

Subscribe today to OEC pro and access the latest data

Sign Up

Latest Data

Flow
Color
Depth

The data obtained is mirror data. The trade of countries that do not report current data can be reconstructed based on data reported by partner countries with current data available.

*All data is converted to USD using January 2020 exchange rates when data is reported in local currency.

Subscribe today to OEC pro and access the latest data

Sign Up

Subscribe today to OEC pro and access the latest data

Sign Up

Historical Data

Yearly Trade

Flow
Color
Depth
Top Export (2022)Raw Copper$6.6B
Top Destination (2022)Switzerland$4.5B

In 2022, Zambia exported a total of $14.8B, making it the number 88 exporter in the world. During the last five reported years the exports of Zambia have changed by $4.92B from $9.91B in 2017 to $14.8B in 2022.

The most recent exports are led by Raw Copper ($6.6B), Refined Copper ($2.78B), Gold ($955M), Precious Stones ($403M), and Ferroalloys ($325M). The most common destination for the exports of Zambia are Switzerland ($4.5B), China ($2.6B), Democratic Republic of the Congo ($1.51B), Pitcairn Islands ($1.49B), and United Arab Emirates ($1B).

Explore Visualizations

Exports (2022)
[Click to Select a Product]

Destinations (2022)
[Click to Select a Country]

Market Growth

Flow
View
Fastest Growing Export Markets (2021 - 2022)
China$497M (+ 23.6%)
Canada$298M (+ 279%)
Fastest Growing Import Markets (2021 - 2022)
China$489M (+ 54.8%)
South Africa$416M (+ 18.3%)
United Arab Emirates$360M (+ 89.6%)

Total Export Growth by Market (2021 - 2022)

Service Trade

Service Trade

Zambia Exports Services (2017)$855M
Zambia Imports Services (2017)$574M

In 2017, Zambia exported $855M worth of services. The top services exported by Zambia in 2017 were Business travel ($370M), Personal travel ($283M), Reinsurance ($75.4M), Transportation ($48.8M), and Telecommunications services ($37M).

The top services imported by Zambia in 2017 were Business travel ($156M), Reinsurance ($79.6M), Personal travel ($67M), Government services, n.i.e. ($58.2M), and Miscellaneous business, professional, and technical services ($56.9M).

Service Exports (2017)

Service Imports (2017)

Economic Complexity

Overview

Economic Complexity (Trade)-0.8Rank 93 of 124
Economic Complexity (Research)-0.33Rank 71 of 135

Most Specialized Products by RCA Index

Zambia has a high level of specialization in Raw Copper (607), Quicklime (76.9), Nickel Ore (74.5), Sulfuric Acid (66.7), and Cobalt Oxides and Hydroxides (65.5). Specialization is measured using RCA, an index that takes the ratio between Zambia observed and expected exports in each product.

Most Complex Products by PCI

The highest complexity exports of Zambia according to the product complexity index (PCI) are Stainless steel; flat-rolled products of width less than 600mm (1.46), Acrylic polymers in primary forms (1.14), Stone or other mineral substances; articles thereof (including articles of peat), n.e.c.... (0.89), Tubing; flexible, with or without fittings, of base metal (0.85), and Stationery; fittings for loose-leaf binders or files, letter clips, letter corners, paper... (0.78). PCI measures the knowledge intensity of a product by considering the knowledge intensity of its exporters.

Export Opportunities by Relatedness

The top export opportunities for Zambia according to the relatedness index, were Other Mineral (0.15), Tin Ores (0.13), Niobium, Tantalum, Vanadium and Zirconium Ore (0.13), Tropical Fruits (0.13), and Precious Metal Ore (0.13). Relatedness measures the distance between a country's current exports and each product. The barchart show only products that Zambia is not specialized in.

Product Space

The product space is a network connecting products that are likely to be co-exported. The product space can be used to predict future exports, since countries are more likely to start exporting products that are related to current exports. Relatedness measures the distance between a product, and all of the products a country currently specializes in.

Relatedness Space

This network shows the products most related to the production structure of Zambia. These are products that tend to be co-exported with the products that Zambia exports. Higher relatedness values ​​indicate greater knowledge, which predicts a greater probability of exporting that product in the future.

Diversification Frontier

Filter
Depth

The Complexity-Relatedness diagram compares the risk vs strategic value of a country's potential export oppotunities. Relatedness is predictive of the probability that a country increases its exports in a product. Complexity, is associated with higher levels of income, economic growth, less income inequality, and lower greenhouse emissions.

Economic Complexity Ranking

Methodology
Scale

During the last 20 years Zambia's⁩ ⁨economy has become relatively less complex, moving from the ⁩⁨nullth to the 93rd⁩ position in the ECI rank.

These economic complexity rankings use 6 digit exports classified according to the HS96 classification. We consider only countries with population of at least 1 million and exports of at least $1 billion, and products with world trade over $500 million. To explore different rankings and vary these parameters visit the custom rankings section.

Explore Rankings

ECI (Trade) Ranking by Country

Have questions, comments, or concerns?
Send us an e-mail: [email protected]
Follow @OECtoday on
Created, Designed, and Developed by:
In collaboration with