Zambia2021 Economic Complexity : -0.74, Rank 96 of 131
2021 Product Exports | Imports: $13.4B | $7.1B, 86 of 226 | 125 of 226
2021 Per Capita Product Exports | Imports: $708 | $375, 154 of 219 | 190 of 219
2017 Service Exports | Imports : $855M | $574M, 116 of 148 | 124 of 148
Overview In 2021, Zambia was the number 107 economy in the world in terms of GDP (current US$), the number 86 in total exports, the number 125 in total imports, the number 160 economy in terms of GDP per capita (current US$) and the number 96 most complex economy according to the Economic Complexity Index (ECI) .
Exports The top exports of Zambia are Raw Copper ($6.33B), Refined Copper ($2.97B), Gold ($814M), Precious Stones ($280M), and Electricity ($176M), exporting mostly to Switzerland ($4.7B), China ($2.26B), Singapore ($1.43B), Democratic Republic of the Congo ($1.11B), and United Arab Emirates ($860M).
In 2021, Zambia was the world's biggest exporter of Raw Copper ($6.33B)
Imports The top imports of Zambia are Refined Petroleum ($600M), Nitrogenous Fertilizers ($278M), Delivery Trucks ($199M), Copper Ore ($193M), and Packaged Medicaments ($188M), importing mostly from South Africa ($2.33B), China ($951M), United Arab Emirates ($832M), India ($431M), and Democratic Republic of the Congo ($300M).
Location Zambia borders Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe by land.
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.
*All data is converted to USD using January 2020 exchange rates when data is reported in local currency.
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.
Top Export (2021): Raw Copper, $6.33B
Top Destination (2021): Switzerland, $4.7B
In 2021, Zambia exported a total of $13.4B, making it the number 86 exporter in the world. During the last five reported years the exports of Zambia have changed by $4.7B from $8.69B in 2016 to $13.4B in 2021.
The most recent exports are led by Raw Copper ($6.33B), Refined Copper ($2.97B), Gold ($814M), Precious Stones ($280M), and Electricity ($176M). The most common destination for the exports of Zambia are Switzerland ($4.7B), China ($2.26B), Singapore ($1.43B), Democratic Republic of the Congo ($1.11B), and United Arab Emirates ($860M).
Fastest Growing Export Markets (2020 - 2021)
Fastest Growing Import Markets (2020 - 2021)
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).
Zambia has a high level of specialization in Raw Copper (617), Quicklime (59.7), Precious Stones (57.4), Refined Copper (50.8), and Sulfuric Acid (49.4). Specialization is measured using RCA, an index that takes the ratio between Zambia observed and expected exports in each product.
The highest complexity exports of Zambia according to the product complexity index (PCI) are Other Stone Articles (0.72), Railway Passenger Cars (0.35), Large Iron Containers (0.034), Cleaning Products (-0.046), and Labels (-0.14). PCI measures the knowledge intensity of a product by considering the knowledge intensity of its exporters.
The top export opportunities for Zambia according to the relatedness index, were Tin Ores (0.13), Niobium, Tantalum, Vanadium and Zirconium Ore (0.12), Tropical Fruits (0.11), Insect Resins (0.11), and Other Oily Seeds (0.11). Relatedness measures the distance between a country's current exports and each product. The barchart show only products that Zambia is not specialized in.
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.
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.
During the last 20 years Zambia's economy has become relatively less complex, moving from the nullth to the 96th 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.
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