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Zambia
Republic of Zambia · Eastern Africa
At a glance
CapitalLusaka
Most common first languageBemba33.4% speak it as a mother tongue
Official languageEnglish
CurrencyZambian kwacha
Drives on theleft
Highest pointMafinga Central2,339 m
Biggest category of goods exportedores and metals73% of goods exports, 2024
Services share of exports10.8%of everything sold abroad, 2024
CoastlineLandlockedno access to the sea
Internet domain.zm
Zambia by the numbers
Rank is out of the countries with data for that measure. Every figure is the latest year the source publishes.
| Measure | Value | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| PopulationEveryone living in the country, all ages, counted mid-year. | 21.9m (2025) | 61st of 209 |
| GDPThe total value of everything the country produces in a year, at current prices. | $28.9bn (2025) | 116th of 203 |
| Land areaTotal land area, excluding inland water and offshore territory. | 743k km² (2023) | 37th of 209 |
| Military spending, totalWhat the government spends on its armed forces in a year — pay, equipment and operations. | $350m (2024) | 112th of 151 |
| Exports of goods & servicesThe value of everything the country sells abroad in a year, goods and services combined. | $8.85bn (2024) | 115th of 180 |
| Mobile subscriptionsActive mobile phone subscriptions — NOT the same as people. Many people hold two, so a country can have more subscriptions than residents. | 23.2m (2024) | 59th of 205 |
| Forest areaLand under natural or planted trees, whether or not it is productive. | 442k km² (2023) | 17th of 203 |
| Agricultural landCropland, land under permanent crops, and permanent pasture. | 238k km² (2023) | 47th of 206 |
| COâ‚‚ emissionsCarbon dioxide released in a year, in millions of tonnes. | 12 Mt (2024) | 104th of 198 |
| Urban populationThe number of people living in urban areas, as each country defines them. | 10.1m (2025) | 66th of 209 |
| Life expectancyHow long a baby born today would live if death rates never changed. | 66.5 years (2024) | 173rd of 209 |
| GDP per personEverything the country produces in a year, divided by its population. | $1,318 (2025) | 181st of 205 |
| Internet useThe share of people who have used the internet in the last three months. | 17.1% (2024) | 183rd of 191 |
| InflationHow much prices rose over the year, measured on a basket of consumer goods. | 13.9% (2025) | 16th of 182 |
| UnemploymentThe share of people who want a job and are looking for one but do not have one. | 5.9% (2025) | 78th of 185 |
| Urban shareThe share of the population living in urban areas. | 45.9% (2025) | 152nd of 209 |
| Births per womanHow many children a woman would have across her life at current birth rates. | 4.04 (2024) | 25th of 209 |
| Military spending, share of GDPWhat the country spends on its armed forces, as a share of everything it produces. | 1.33% of GDP (2024) | 93rd of 155 |
| Trade opennessImports plus exports as a share of GDP. Above 100% is normal for small trading economies. | 62.5% of GDP (2024) | 121st of 183 |
| COâ‚‚ per personCarbon dioxide from fuel and industry, divided by the population. | 0.53 t (2024) | 158th of 198 |
| Human Development IndexThe UN’s combined measure of health, education and income, on a scale from 0 to 1. | 0.595 (2023) | 154th of 193 |
Land borders
🇦🇴 Angola🇧🇼 Botswana🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo🇲🇼 Malawi🇲🇿 Mozambique🇳🇦 Namibia🇹🇿 Tanzania🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
Zambia shares these with other countries
Drives on the left 60Is landlocked 43Has english as an official language 63Is a member of the commonwealth 55Is a member of the african union 54Mainly exports ores and metals 14Is in eastern africa 17
Keep going
Country data from the World Bank (CC BY 4.0) and the UNDP Human Development Report (CC BY 3.0 IGO)
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