Zambia
Government debt in Zambia
Government debt in Zambia: 261% of GDP in 2000 and 100.6% of GDP in 2025, by IMF estimates.
- Latest, 2025
- 100.6% of GDP
- Since 2000
- −160.4 percentage points
- Rank, 2025
- 13 of 149
- counting from the highest
- Projected, 2031
- 56.7% of GDP
- IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026)
% of GDP · IMF
What the numbers say
- The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts it at 56.7% of GDP in 2031.
- The highest was 261% of GDP in 2000, the lowest 18.9% of GDP in 2010.
Every year
% of GDP · IMF
| Year | Zambia |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 100.6 |
| 2024 | 125.5 |
| 2023 | 136.8 |
| 2022 | 99.5 |
| 2021 | 111 |
| 2020 | 140 |
| 2019 | 103.3 |
| 2018 | 81.2 |
| 2017 | 66.6 |
| 2016 | 61.2 |
| 2015 | 61.9 |
| 2014 | 33.9 |
| 2013 | 25.9 |
| 2012 | 24.9 |
| 2011 | 20.8 |
| 2010 | 18.9 |
| 2009 | 20.5 |
| 2008 | 19.2 |
| 2007 | 21.9 |
| 2006 | 25 |
| 2005 | 75.8 |
| 2004 | 129.9 |
| 2003 | 159.5 |
| 2002 | 180.2 |
| 2001 | 210.2 |
| 2000 | 261 |
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
| Year | Zambia |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 82.1 |
| 2027 | 77 |
| 2028 | 72.3 |
| 2029 | 67.2 |
| 2030 | 61.9 |
| 2031 | 56.7 |
Good to know
- What the government owes, as a share of the economy’s yearly output.
- 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 149 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 in numbers
Every measure for Zambia on one page
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Military
- Military spending1.26% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollars$343M in 2025
- Military spending per person$19 in 2025
- Military share of state spending4.5% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnel16,000 people in 2020
- National power0.1% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workers0.24% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms imports1 million TIV in 2024
- Arms exports2 million TIV in 1990