Zambia vs Zimbabwe
Zambia vs Zimbabwe: Inflation
Inflation in 2025: 13.9% a year in Zambia and 81.4% a year in Zimbabwe, by IMF estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Zimbabwe, by 67.5 percentage points, or 5.85 times that in Zambia.
% a year · IMF
What the numbers say
- Zimbabwe has been higher since 2018, when it overtook Zambia.
- In 2025, Zambia ranked 17 and Zimbabwe ranked 4 of 179 countries, counting from the highest.
- The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Zambia at 7% a year and Zimbabwe at 6.9% a year in 2031.
Every year
% a year · IMF
| Year | Zambia | Zimbabwe |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 13.9 | 81.4 |
| 2024 | 15 | 736.1 |
| 2023 | 10.9 | 667.4 |
| 2022 | 11 | 193.4 |
| 2021 | 22 | 98.6 |
| 2020 | 15.7 | 557.2 |
| 2019 | 9.2 | 255.3 |
| 2018 | 7.5 | 10.6 |
| 2017 | 6.6 | 0.9 |
| 2016 | 17.9 | -1.6 |
| 2015 | 10.1 | -2.4 |
| 2014 | 7.8 | -0.2 |
| 2013 | 7 | 1.6 |
| 2012 | 6.6 | 3.7 |
| 2011 | 8.7 | 3.5 |
| 2010 | 8.5 | 3 |
| 2009 | 13.4 | 6.2 |
| 2008 | 12.5 | 231,200,000 |
| 2007 | 10.7 | 6,724 |
| 2006 | 9 | 1,017 |
| 2005 | 18.3 | 237.8 |
| 2004 | 18 | 350 |
| 2003 | 21.4 | 365 |
| 2002 | 22.2 | 133.2 |
| 2001 | 21.4 | 71.9 |
| 2000 | 24.1 | 55.8 |
| 1999 | 23.9 | 58.5 |
| 1998 | 22.7 | 31.7 |
| 1997 | 21.4 | 18.9 |
| 1996 | 38.6 | 21.4 |
| 1995 | 31.5 | 22.6 |
| 1994 | 46.1 | 22.3 |
| 1993 | 158.4 | 27.6 |
| 1992 | 146.7 | 42.1 |
| 1991 | 85.3 | 23.3 |
| 1990 | 93.9 | – |
| 1989 | 113.2 | – |
| 1988 | 45.8 | – |
| 1987 | 43 | – |
| 1986 | 48 | – |
| 1985 | 37.4 | – |
| 1984 | 20 | – |
| 1983 | 19.7 | – |
| 1982 | 12.5 | – |
| 1981 | 14 | – |
| 1980 | 11.7 | – |
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
| Year | Zambia | Zimbabwe |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 8 | 4 |
| 2027 | 7.5 | 5 |
| 2028 | 7 | 7 |
| 2029 | 7 | 6.9 |
| 2030 | 7 | 6.9 |
| 2031 | 7 | 6.9 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- How much consumer prices rose in a year, on average.
- 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 179 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