Zambia vs Zimbabwe
Zambia vs Zimbabwe: GDP growth
GDP growth in 2025: 3.8% a year in Zambia and 8.3% a year in Zimbabwe, by IMF estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Zimbabwe, by 4.5 percentage points, or 2.21 times that in Zambia.
% a year · IMF
What the numbers say
- Zimbabwe has been higher since 2025, when it overtook Zambia.
- In 2025, Zambia ranked 58 and Zimbabwe ranked 8 of 143 countries, counting from the highest.
- The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Zambia at 5.3% a year and Zimbabwe at 4.2% a year in 2031.
Every year
% a year · IMF
| Year | Zambia | Zimbabwe |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3.8 | 8.3 |
| 2024 | 3.8 | 1.7 |
| 2023 | 5.4 | 5.3 |
| 2022 | 5.2 | 5.7 |
| 2021 | 6.2 | 7.9 |
| 2020 | -2.8 | -11.5 |
| 2019 | 1.4 | -6.7 |
| 2018 | 4 | 4.3 |
| 2017 | 3.5 | 9.8 |
| 2016 | 3.8 | 1.2 |
| 2015 | 2.9 | 2.1 |
| 2014 | 4.7 | 2.4 |
| 2013 | 5.1 | 2 |
| 2012 | 7.6 | 15.4 |
| 2011 | 5.6 | 14.3 |
| 2010 | 10.3 | 19.6 |
| 2009 | 9.2 | 7.4 |
| 2008 | 7.8 | -16.3 |
| 2007 | 8.4 | -3.4 |
| 2006 | 7.9 | -3.6 |
| 2005 | 7.2 | -7.4 |
| 2004 | 7 | -6.3 |
| 2003 | 6.9 | -16.2 |
| 2002 | 4.5 | -7.7 |
| 2001 | 5.3 | -0.5 |
| 2000 | 3.9 | -4.2 |
| 1999 | 4.7 | -1.1 |
| 1998 | -0.4 | – |
| 1997 | 3.8 | – |
| 1996 | 6.2 | – |
| 1995 | 2.9 | – |
| 1994 | -13.3 | – |
| 1993 | -0.1 | – |
| 1992 | 2.1 | – |
| 1991 | -0.7 | – |
| 1990 | -0.6 | – |
| 1989 | -3.7 | – |
| 1988 | 9.3 | – |
| 1987 | 1.5 | – |
| 1986 | 1.7 | – |
| 1985 | 1.2 | – |
| 1984 | -1.7 | – |
| 1983 | -1.1 | – |
| 1982 | -2.9 | – |
| 1981 | 6.6 | – |
| 1980 | 3.9 | – |
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
| Year | Zambia | Zimbabwe |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 5.6 | 5 |
| 2027 | 4.9 | 3.5 |
| 2028 | 5 | 5 |
| 2029 | 5.3 | 4.2 |
| 2030 | 5.3 | 4.2 |
| 2031 | 5.3 | 4.2 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- How much the economy grew or shrank in a year, after inflation.
- Source: IMF, World Economic Outlook, October 2026.
- The dashed line is the IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026), a scenario rather than a forecast.
- Ranks count the 143 countries with a value in 2025, highest first.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
Zambia vs Zimbabwe
Health
- Life expectancyZambia: 66.4 years in 2023Zimbabwe: 62.8 years in 2023
- Child mortalityZambia: 4.8 per 100 live births in 2024Zimbabwe: 6.5 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityZambia: 38.2 per 1,000 live births in 2023Zimbabwe: 33.2 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionZambia: 3.64% in 2017Zimbabwe: 3.19% in 2017
- Suicide rateZambia: 13.1 per 100,000 people in 2017Zimbabwe: 26.4 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationZambia: 20.7 million people in 2023Zimbabwe: 16.3 million people in 2023
- Population growthZambia: 2.83% a year in 2023Zimbabwe: 1.68% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateZambia: 4.1 births per woman in 2023Zimbabwe: 3.72 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationZambia: 45.9% in 2025Zimbabwe: 40.5% in 2025
- Median ageZambia: 17.5 years in 2023Zimbabwe: 17.8 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overZambia: 1.9% in 2023Zimbabwe: 3.6% in 2023
- Net migration rateZambia: 0.5 per 1,000 people in 2023Zimbabwe: -6 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingZambia: 1.26% of GDP in 2025Zimbabwe: 0.56% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsZambia: $343M in 2025Zimbabwe: $134M in 2025
- Military spending per personZambia: $19 in 2025Zimbabwe: $10 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingZambia: 4.5% of government spending in 2025Zimbabwe: 5.3% of government spending in 2005
- Armed forces personnelZambia: 16,000 people in 2020Zimbabwe: 51,000 people in 2020
- National powerZambia: 0.1% of world capability in 2022Zimbabwe: 0.08% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersZambia: 0.24% of the labour force in 2020Zimbabwe: 0.88% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsZambia: 1 million TIV in 2024Zimbabwe: 20 million TIV in 2023
- Arms exportsZambia: 2 million TIV in 1990Zimbabwe: 4 million TIV in 2001