Transport services (% of commercial service imports) in Zambia
Zambia: Transport services (% of commercial service imports) was 48.3% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Transport services in Zambia, 1978–2025
Source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of commercial service imports.
Analysis
Zambia recorded 48.3% for transport services in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and down 19.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, transport services in Zambia peaked at 78.9% in 1997 and was at its lowest, 45.5%, in 2007.
Zambia ranks 42nd of 197 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 43 years of available data.
Transport services (% of commercial service imports) in Zambia, year by year
| Year | % of commercial service imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | 58.4% | — |
| 1979 | 63.4% | +8.6% |
| 1980 | 54.6% | -14.0% |
| 1981 | 48.3% | -11.5% |
| 1982 | 59.8% | +23.7% |
| 1983 | 59.8% | +0.1% |
| 1984 | 63.2% | +5.7% |
| 1985 | 69.6% | +10.0% |
| 1986 | 67.2% | -3.4% |
| 1987 | 59.3% | -11.8% |
| 1988 | 62.8% | +5.9% |
| 1989 | 68.8% | +9.5% |
| 1990 | 76.8% | +11.6% |
| 1991 | 57.7% | -24.9% |
| 1997 | 78.9% | +36.7% |
| 1998 | 73.7% | -6.6% |
| 1999 | 67.9% | -7.9% |
| 2000 | 62.8% | -7.5% |
| 2001 | 64.4% | +2.6% |
| 2002 | 63.5% | -1.3% |
| 2003 | 60.6% | -4.7% |
| 2004 | 55.3% | -8.8% |
| 2005 | 63.8% | +15.5% |
| 2006 | 58.2% | -8.8% |
| 2007 | 45.5% | -21.7% |
| 2008 | 54.6% | +19.8% |
| 2009 | 53.9% | -1.2% |
| 2010 | 55.8% | +3.6% |
| 2011 | 63.3% | +13.4% |
| 2012 | 63.9% | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 52.9% | -17.2% |
| 2014 | 56.6% | +6.9% |
| 2015 | 59.8% | +5.6% |
| 2016 | 57.5% | -3.9% |
| 2017 | 59.4% | +3.4% |
| 2018 | 59.2% | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 55.5% | -6.4% |
| 2020 | 49.5% | -10.8% |
| 2021 | 55.9% | +13.1% |
| 2022 | 48.8% | -12.8% |
| 2023 | 53.4% | +9.5% |
| 2024 | 48.3% | -9.6% |
| 2025 | 48.3% | +0.1% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 48.3% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 40.9%, 1.2× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 48.3% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 41.1%, 1.2× the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 60.9% | 58.4% | 63.4% | 2 |
| 1980s | 61.3% | 48.3% | 69.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 71.0% | 57.7% | 78.9% | 5 |
| 2000s | 58.3% | 45.5% | 64.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 58.4% | 52.9% | 63.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 50.7% | 48.3% | 55.9% | 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)
- Merchandise imports 13.17 billion current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service imports 2.17 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 8.7% (2024)
- Manufactures exports 14.1% (2024)
- Merchandise exports 13.31 billion current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service exports 1.39 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 607.56 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is transport services in Zambia?
- Transport services in Zambia was 48.3% in 2025, according to Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest transport services recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 78.9% in 1997.
- What is the lowest transport services recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 45.5% in 2007.
- How does Zambia rank for transport services?
- Zambia ranks 42nd out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
- Is transport services rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 19.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Transport services (% of commercial service imports). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 43 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Transport is the process of carriage of people and objects from one location to another as well as related supporting and auxiliary services. Also included are postal and courier services. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of service imports which are commercial services provided by non-residents to residents.