Merchandise imports in Zambia
Zambia: Merchandise imports was 13.17 billion current US$ in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
13.17 billion current US$
Change on year
up 16.9%
World rank
103rd
of 206 countries
All-time high
13.17 billion current US$
in 2025
All-time low
164.00 million current US$
in 1963
Years of data
66
1960–2025
Merchandise imports in Zambia, 1960–2025
Source: World Trade Organization (WTO). Measured in current US$.
Analysis
Zambia recorded 13.17 billion current US$ for merchandise imports in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 16.9% on the previous year and up 66.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise imports in Zambia peaked at 13.17 billion current US$ in 2025 and was at its lowest, 164.00 million current US$, in 1963.
Zambia ranks 103rd of 206 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Merchandise imports in Zambia, year by year
| Year | current US$ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 210.00 million current US$ | — |
| 1961 | 228.00 million current US$ | +8.6% |
| 1962 | 175.00 million current US$ | -23.2% |
| 1963 | 164.00 million current US$ | -6.3% |
| 1964 | 219.00 million current US$ | +33.5% |
| 1965 | 299.00 million current US$ | +36.5% |
| 1966 | 345.00 million current US$ | +15.4% |
| 1967 | 440.00 million current US$ | +27.5% |
| 1968 | 457.00 million current US$ | +3.9% |
| 1969 | 437.00 million current US$ | -4.4% |
| 1970 | 477.00 million current US$ | +9.2% |
| 1971 | 556.00 million current US$ | +16.6% |
| 1972 | 565.00 million current US$ | +1.6% |
| 1973 | 533.00 million current US$ | -5.7% |
| 1974 | 787.00 million current US$ | +47.7% |
| 1975 | 929.00 million current US$ | +18.0% |
| 1976 | 674.00 million current US$ | -27.4% |
| 1977 | 671.00 million current US$ | -0.4% |
| 1978 | 618.00 million current US$ | -7.9% |
| 1979 | 749.00 million current US$ | +21.2% |
| 1980 | 1.34 billion current US$ | +78.8% |
| 1981 | 1.26 billion current US$ | -5.8% |
| 1982 | 1.20 billion current US$ | -4.8% |
| 1983 | 851.00 million current US$ | -29.1% |
| 1984 | 730.00 million current US$ | -14.2% |
| 1985 | 654.00 million current US$ | -10.4% |
| 1986 | 648.00 million current US$ | -0.9% |
| 1987 | 816.00 million current US$ | +25.9% |
| 1988 | 835.00 million current US$ | +2.3% |
| 1989 | 906.00 million current US$ | +8.5% |
| 1990 | 1.22 billion current US$ | +34.7% |
| 1991 | 818.00 million current US$ | -33.0% |
| 1992 | 795.00 million current US$ | -2.8% |
| 1993 | 809.00 million current US$ | +1.8% |
| 1994 | 594.00 million current US$ | -26.6% |
| 1995 | 700.00 million current US$ | +17.8% |
| 1996 | 835.00 million current US$ | +19.3% |
| 1997 | 819.00 million current US$ | -1.9% |
| 1998 | 1.10 billion current US$ | +34.3% |
| 1999 | 822.00 million current US$ | -25.3% |
| 2000 | 888.00 million current US$ | +8.0% |
| 2001 | 1.08 billion current US$ | +21.8% |
| 2002 | 1.10 billion current US$ | +1.8% |
| 2003 | 1.57 billion current US$ | +42.8% |
| 2004 | 2.15 billion current US$ | +36.7% |
| 2005 | 2.56 billion current US$ | +18.9% |
| 2006 | 3.07 billion current US$ | +20.2% |
| 2007 | 4.01 billion current US$ | +30.4% |
| 2008 | 5.06 billion current US$ | +26.3% |
| 2009 | 3.83 billion current US$ | -24.3% |
| 2010 | 5.32 billion current US$ | +38.9% |
| 2011 | 7.18 billion current US$ | +34.9% |
| 2012 | 8.80 billion current US$ | +22.7% |
| 2013 | 10.59 billion current US$ | +20.2% |
| 2014 | 9.71 billion current US$ | -8.3% |
| 2015 | 7.93 billion current US$ | -18.3% |
| 2016 | 7.29 billion current US$ | -8.1% |
| 2017 | 7.99 billion current US$ | +9.6% |
| 2018 | 9.47 billion current US$ | +18.5% |
| 2019 | 7.17 billion current US$ | -24.2% |
| 2020 | 5.29 billion current US$ | -26.3% |
| 2021 | 6.98 billion current US$ | +32.1% |
| 2022 | 9.00 billion current US$ | +29.0% |
| 2023 | 10.12 billion current US$ | +12.5% |
| 2024 | 11.27 billion current US$ | +11.3% |
| 2025 | 13.17 billion current US$ | +16.9% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 13.17 billion current US$ is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 11.14 billion current US$, 1.2× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 13.17 billion current US$ is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 5.46 billion current US$, 2.4× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 297.40 million current US$ | 164.00 million current US$ | 457.00 million current US$ | 10 |
| 1970s | 655.90 million current US$ | 477.00 million current US$ | 929.00 million current US$ | 10 |
| 1980s | 924.10 million current US$ | 648.00 million current US$ | 1.34 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 1990s | 851.20 million current US$ | 594.00 million current US$ | 1.22 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.53 billion current US$ | 888.00 million current US$ | 5.06 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.14 billion current US$ | 5.32 billion current US$ | 10.59 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.31 billion current US$ | 5.29 billion current US$ | 13.17 billion current US$ | 6 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
More private sector data for Zambia
- Merchandise trade 91.7% (2025)
- Food imports 7.8% (2024)
- Manufactures imports 64.4% (2024)
- Food exports 8.7% (2024)
- Manufactures exports 14.1% (2024)
- Merchandise exports 13.31 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 607.56 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.461 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 18.07 % change on previous year (2025)
- Merchandise imports (current US$), per capita 601.03 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise imports in Zambia?
- Merchandise imports in Zambia was 13.17 billion current US$ in 2025, according to World Trade Organization (WTO).
- What is the highest merchandise imports recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 13.17 billion current US$ in 2025.
- What is the lowest merchandise imports recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 164.00 million current US$ in 1963.
- How does Zambia rank for merchandise imports?
- Zambia ranks 103rd out of 206 countries with data for 2025.
- Is merchandise imports rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 66.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from World Trade Organization (WTO), published as part of Merchandise imports (current US$). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Merchandise imports includes goods whose economic ownership is changed from a non-resident to a resident and that are not included in the following specific categories: goods under merchanting, non-monetary gold, and parts of travel, construction, and government goods and services n.i.e. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This indicator is expressed in United States dollars.