Country export capability

Zambia
export capability

A reported view of Zambia's export scale, destination network, sector breadth, trade history, and market-access context. Use the indicators together; no single measure describes export readiness on its own.

ZMB1995-2024 coverage270 active partner marketsMacro trend weakened
Latest exports$14.6B2024 reported value
Latest imports$9.7B2024 reported value
Trade balance$4.9BExports minus imports
Export growth+5.2%Latest year-on-year change
Active partners270Latest reported markets

Country export profile overview

Zambia export data in one research view

This profile brings together export performance, trade balance, destination markets, HS2 sectors, partner breadth, history, and market-access context for country export research.

Export scale and balance

Start with the latest reported trade position

In 2024, Zambia recorded $14.6B in exports and $9.7B in imports. The resulting $4.9B trade balance gives the latest country-level position a clear context.

Exports changed +5.2% year on year and show a calculated +4% three-year CAGR. CAGR is an annualized comparison of reported values, not a forecast.

Markets and sectors

See where export value is concentrated

Switzerland, Liechtenstein received $4.7B in reported exports, representing 32.2% of the latest country total. Copper was the largest displayed HS2 export sector at $10.0B and 68.2% of exports.

The visible page highlights five leading destinations and five leading HS2 sectors, while the complete structured files retain every row supplied for this sample.

History and coverage

Read today's number against the long series

The country series covers 1995 through 2024, with 30 observed annual rows. That longer view helps separate a single-year movement from the broader export trend.

Partner counts, tariff context, concentration, exposure shares, and momentum are supporting indicators calculated from available trade observations. Missing values remain unavailable rather than estimated.

Economy and structure

The context around Zambia's export base

Macroeconomic and structural indicators add context to merchandise trade scale. They describe the country environment; they do not predict company performance or future exports.

GDP$25.3B2024 macro context
GDP per capita$1.2KCurrent-dollar GDP
Population21.3MReported population
Labor force8.8KReported labor force
Investment rate35.9%National investment rate
Savings rate34.7%National savings rate
Trade openness57.5%Exports + imports / GDP
Exports / GDP34.6%Merchandise exports / GDP
Secondary education56.3%Education context
Tertiary education0.7%Education context

Market signals

Where to look more closely next

Route-level risk and emerging-corridor signals for further research. These are calculated indicators, not forecasts.

Destination risk contextAll covered routes
Destination risk context for Zambia
DestinationAttentionAttention shareBelow peakApplied tariffPrimary reason
Switzerland, LiechtensteinCHECritical attention99.7%14.9%0.4%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
SingaporeSGPCritical attention99.5%83.5%0.4%Tariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
South AfricaZAFCritical attention93.1%46.2%8.6%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
United Arab EmiratesAREWatch7.4%22%5.2%Volatile products account for the largest observed corridor exposure
Saudi ArabiaSAUCritical attention99.8%92.3%9.9%Current trade remains materially below historical peaks
MalawiMWICritical attention97.6%27.1%24.1%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSAHigh attention98.1%26.1%2%Tariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
ZimbabweZWEHigh attention94.9%18.6%6.6%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
ChinaCHNHigh attention99.8%14.9%28.8%Tariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
IndiaINDHigh attention83.6%4.9%52.1%Volatile products account for the largest observed corridor exposure

Full route coverage is retained. High attention means the route deserves closer product and access review.

Market opportunity signals

Product-market combinations worth investigating

All returned rows use buyer demand, exporter position, and calculated addressable-value fields. They are research signals, not forecasts.

Addressable-value signalsAll returned rows
Market opportunity signals for Zambia
RankMarket and productBuyer importsAddressable 3-year valueCurrent shareDemand signal
1ChinaHS6 260111 · Iron ores and concentrates: non-agglomerated$111.0B$119.1B0%Declining -2.6%
2USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsHS6 270900 · Oils: petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous minerals, crude$165.0B$115.5B0%Declining +1.1%
3ChinaHS6 854231 · Electronic integrated circuits: processors and controllers, whether or not combined with memories, converters, logic circuits, amplifiers, clock and timing circuits, or other circuits$158.0B$93.1B0%Growing +10.5%
4IndiaHS6 270900 · Oils: petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous minerals, crude$130.1B$72.9B0.1%Accelerating -0.5%
5ChinaHS6 854232 · Electronic integrated circuits: memories$80.6B$65.7B0%Accelerating +20.6%
6ChinaHS6 854239 · Electronic integrated circuits: n.e.c. in heading no. 8542$81.8B$61.4B0%Growing +4%
7USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsHS6 851712 · Telephones for cellular networks or for other wireless networks$53.9B$53.8B0%Growing -8.8%
8USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsHS6 847150 · Digital processing units: other than those of subheadings 8471.41 or 8471.49, whether or not containing in the same housing one or two of the following types of unit: storage units, input units or output units$53.9B$45.6B0%Slowing +60.2%

Addressable value is a calculated field. Validate product, buyer, tariff, and route conditions before commercial decisions.

Detailed export portfolioHS4 lines beneath the leading sectorsOpen the detailed four-digit export table for Zambia.
All HS4 export lines2024 ranking
Top HS4 export lines for Zambia
RankHS4Parent HS2 sectorExportsShareActive HS6
17402HS4 detail codeCopper (74) ↗$7.7B52.5%1
27403HS4 detail codeCopper (74) ↗$2.2B15%6
37108HS4 detail codePrecious stones and metals (71) ↗$1.4B9.6%2
47103HS4 detail codePrecious stones and metals (71) ↗$316.3M2.2%3
52604HS4 detail codeOres, slag and ash (26) ↗$294.4M2%1
62716HS4 detail codeMineral fuels (27) ↗$221.5M1.5%1
72401HS4 detail codeTobacco (24) ↗$210.2M1.4%3
82807HS4 detail codeInorganic chemicals (28) ↗$148.4M1%1
92523HS4 detail codeSalt, sulphur, earths and stone (25) ↗$144.5M1%5
107202HS4 detail codeIron and steel (72) ↗$119.0M0.8%12
112202HS4 detail codeBeverages (22) ↗$106.5M0.7%3
122522HS4 detail codeSalt, sulphur, earths and stone (25) ↗$96.2M0.7%3

HS4 values are reported observations. The hierarchy is preserved; no missing descriptions are inferred.

The country export read

Zambia combines $14.6B in exports with a broad partner network.

In 2024, Zambia recorded $14.6B in reported exports and $9.7B in imports, producing a reported trade surplus of $4.9B. Exports changed +5.2% year on year and +4% annualized over three years. Copper (HS2 74) was the largest displayed export sector by value.

Destination network

Where Zambia exports move

All returned destination lanes ranked by latest reported export value. Share is calculated against the country total. Review sources ↗

Latest reported destination lanesAll returned · 2024
Leading export destinations for Zambia
RankDestinationLatest exportsShareYear-on-year3-year CAGR
1Switzerland, LiechtensteinCHE$4.7B32.2%+11.6%+2.2%
2ChinaCHN$4.2B28.5%+25.4%+7%
3United Arab EmiratesARE$1.6B10.7%-12.2%+25.9%
4Democratic Republic of the CongoCOD$926.8M6.3%-0.2%+12.4%
5IndiaIND$877.5M6%+6.1%+95.1%
6ZimbabweZWE$329.9M2.3%+29.2%+20%
7South AfricaZAF$316.5M2.2%+2.2%+7.8%
8United Rep. of TanzaniaTZA$186.7M1.3%+49.6%+32.4%
9SingaporeSGP$168.6M1.2%-60.4%-48.4%
10NamibiaNAM$126.9M0.9%-20.2%+7.5%

Destination values are reported country-to-country observations. Full returned rows remain in the downloads.

Trade history

A long view of export scale

Latest twelve years from the 30-year reported country series. Context, not a forecast.

Reported exports by year

2013
$10.6B
2014
$10.0B
2015
$7.5B
2016
$7.3B
2017
$9.5B
2018
$11.2B
2019
$8.7B
2020
$9.6B
2021
$13.0B
2022
$15.3B
2023
$13.9B
2024
$14.6B

Partner network

Scale is only one part of export capability

Partner breadth, distance, agreements, and tariffs add context to reported exports.

FTA partner markets17Reported count
WTO partner markets169Reported count
EU partner markets28Reported count
Shared-border partners8Country context
Shared-language partners77Country context
Average partner distance7,944 kmCalculated average
Partners with FTA6.3%Calculated share
Applied tariff context0.1%Calculated average
MFN tariff context0.1%Calculated average
Tariff advantage+0.1 ppPreferential vs MFN

Exposure context

Signals to examine alongside export scale

Calculated or classified route and country context. Not predictions or recommendations.

Attention share85.8%

Covered value under attention

Critical share9.8%

Covered value marked critical

Below historical peak18.2%

Distance below route peaks

FTA-covered exports7.6%

Covered value with FTA context

Weighted tariff context0.1%

Export-weighted tariff

Macro contextMacro trend weakened

Primary attention driver: Market access exposure.

Momentum score4.8

History-based indicator

Partner concentration2,057.8

Partner HHI

Product concentration3,045.7

Product HHI

Country attention level: High attention. Missing fields remain unavailable.

Complete country valuesOpen the full profile evidenceFull history, sectors, HS4, destinations, risk, opportunities, and source fields.

Profile fields

Year2,024
Country Iso3ZMB
Exports Usd$14.6B
Imports Usd$9.7B
Trade Balance Usd$4.9B
Yoy Exports Growth Pct5.2%
Yoy Imports Growth Pct17%
Exports Cagr 3y Pct4%
Imports Cagr 3y Pct14.3%
Export Partner Hhi2,057.8
Export Product Hhi3,045.7
Momentum Score4.8
Risk Score25.5
Gdp Million Usd25,303.19 million USD
Gdp Per Capita Usd$1.2K
Population21,314,956
Labor Force8,843.2
Investment Rate Pct35.9%
Savings Rate Pct34.7%
Secondary Education Pct56.3%
Tertiary Education Pct0.7%
Total Factor Productivity279.8
Trade Openness Pct57.5%
Exports Gdp Pct34.6%
Num Active Partners270
Num Fta Partners17
Num Wto Partners169
Num Eu Partners28
Num Shared Border Partners8
Num Shared Language Partners77
Avg Partner Distance Km7,944 km
Avg Partner Gdp Million Usd533,678,518.33 million USD
Avg Partner Gdp Per Capita Usd$15.8
Avg Buyer Biz Entry DaysNot reported
Avg Buyer Biz Entry Cost PctNot reported
Pct Partners With Fta6
Pct Partners Shared Language29
Pct Partners Shared Border3
Avg Applied Tariff Pct0.1%
Avg Mfn Tariff Pct0.1%
Avg Preferential Tariff Pct0%
Tariff Advantage Pp+0.1 pp
Avg Distance All Partners Km8,031
Num Border Partners170
Num Colonial Partners25
Avg Substitution Elasticity-9.2
Pct Products High Elasticity71
Pct Products Low Elasticity3
Real Market Potential84,339.1
Foreign Market Potential17,842.8

Exposure fields

Country Iso3ZMB
All History Lane Count2,105
Current Lane Count777
Critical Lane Count11
High Attention Lane Count195
High Volatility Lane Count546
Unrecovered Drawdown Lane Count332
Declining Demand Lane Count4
Concentrated Market Lane Count490
Access Friction Lane Count160
Buyer Macro Weakness Lane Count146
Monitored Exports Current Usd$14.1B
Attention Exports Usd$12.1B
Critical Exports Usd$1.4B
High Volatility Exports Usd$7.9B
Unrecovered Drawdown Exports Usd$2.3B
Non Fta Exports Usd$12.2B
Monitored Attention Share Pct85.8%
Monitored Critical Share Pct9.8%
Fta Covered Exports Share Pct7.6%
Export Weighted Volatility Cv1.2
Export Weighted Below Peak Pct18.2%
Export Weighted Distance Km7,833 km
Export Weighted Tariff Pct0.1%
Latest Data Year2,024
First Data Year1,995
Country Years Count30
Total Exports Latest Usd$14.6B
Total Imports Latest Usd$9.7B
Trade Balance Latest Usd$4.9B
Exports Yoy Latest Pct5.2%
Exports Cagr 3y Latest Pct4%
Gdp Latest Million Usd25,303.19 million USD
Gdp Per Capita Latest Usd$1.2K
Population Latest21,314,956
Investment Rate Latest Pct35.9%
Savings Rate Latest Pct34.7%
Trade Openness Latest Pct57.5%
Exports Gdp Latest Pct34.6%
Active Partners Latest270
Fta Partners Latest17
Foreign Market Potential Latest17,842.8
Gdp 5y Cagr Pct1.7%
Gdp Per Capita 5y Cagr Pct-1.2%
Population 5y Cagr Pct2.9%
Partner Hhi Latest2,057.8
Partner Top1 Share Latest Pct32.2%
Partner Top3 Share Latest Pct71.4%
Partner Hhi All Avg1,432.9
Partner Hhi All Max2,224.3
Product Hhi Latest3,045.7
Product Top1 Share Latest Pct52.5%
Product Top3 Share Latest Pct75.4%
Product Hhi All Avg3,203.9
Product Hhi All Max4,564.4
Total Exports Attention Share Pct82.7%
Total Exports Critical Share Pct9.4%
Attention LevelHigh attention
Primary Risk DriverMarket access exposure
Macro Resilience LabelMacro trend weakened

Annual country history

YearExportsImportsTrade balanceExports YoYExports CAGR 3Y
1995$1.1B$546.8M$590.5MNot reportedNot reported
1996$975.3M$494.7M$480.6M-14.2%Not reported
1997$1.2B$625.1M$532.5M+18.7%Not reported
1998$906.6M$541.3M$365.3M-21.7%-7.3%
1999$768.0M$354.3M$413.7M-15.3%-7.7%
2000$730.8M$915.8M-$185.1M-4.8%-14.2%
2001$777.2M$917.5M-$140.3M+6.3%-5%
2002$838.1M$1.1B-$259.5M+7.8%+3%
2003$1.0B$1.3B-$260.4M+21.1%+11.6%
2004$1.9B$1.7B$207.4M+91.9%+35.8%
2005$2.3B$2.0B$299.9M+17%+39.5%
2006$4.0B$3.5B$496.9M+75%+57.8%
2007$5.2B$3.3B$1.8B+29.7%+38.5%
2008$5.3B$4.4B$935.9M+2.9%+32.7%
2009$4.4B$3.1B$1.3B-17.2%+3.4%
2010$7.5B$4.2B$3.3B+69.8%+13.1%
2011$10.6B$6.0B$4.6B+41.4%+25.8%
2012$10.5B$7.1B$3.3B-1%+33.4%
2013$10.6B$7.9B$2.8B+1.6%+12.4%
2014$10.0B$7.7B$2.3B-6.5%-2%
2015$7.5B$6.7B$805.9M-24.3%-10.4%
2016$7.3B$6.4B$944.7M-3%-11.8%
2017$9.5B$6.8B$2.7B+30.6%-1.4%
2018$11.2B$8.2B$3.0B+17.4%+14.2%
2019$8.7B$7.1B$1.6B-22.6%+5.9%
2020$9.6B$5.1B$4.5B+11%+0.3%
2021$13.0B$6.5B$6.5B+35%+5.1%
2022$15.3B$7.3B$8.0B+17.3%+20.7%
2023$13.9B$8.3B$5.6B-8.8%+13%
2024$14.6B$9.7B$4.9B+5.2%+4%

Top export sectors

RankHS2SectorExportsShareExport partnersActive HS6
174Copper$10.0B68.2%4247
271Precious stones and metals$1.7B11.9%5637
326Ores, slag and ash$468.1M3.2%3528
425Salt, sulphur, earths and stone$306.4M2.1%4163
527Mineral fuels$232.9M1.6%8241
624Tobacco$214.2M1.5%519
728Inorganic chemicals$205.7M1.4%20164
872Iron and steel$190.3M1.3%53161
931Fertilisers$120.9M0.8%1523
1023Food industry residues$112.5M0.8%1619

Detailed HS4 export lines

RankHS4Parent HS2ExportsShareActive HS6
17402Copper (74)$7.7B52.5%1
27403Copper (74)$2.2B15%6
37108Precious stones and metals (71)$1.4B9.6%2
47103Precious stones and metals (71)$316.3M2.2%3
52604Ores, slag and ash (26)$294.4M2%1
62716Mineral fuels (27)$221.5M1.5%1
72401Tobacco (24)$210.2M1.4%3
82807Inorganic chemicals (28)$148.4M1%1
92523Salt, sulphur, earths and stone (25)$144.5M1%5
107202Iron and steel (72)$119.0M0.8%12
112202Beverages (22)$106.5M0.7%3
122522Salt, sulphur, earths and stone (25)$96.2M0.7%3

Top export destinations

RankDestinationISO3ExportsShareYoYCAGR 3Y
1Switzerland, LiechtensteinCHE$4.7B32.2%+11.6%+2.2%
2ChinaCHN$4.2B28.5%+25.4%+7%
3United Arab EmiratesARE$1.6B10.7%-12.2%+25.9%
4Democratic Republic of the CongoCOD$926.8M6.3%-0.2%+12.4%
5IndiaIND$877.5M6%+6.1%+95.1%
6ZimbabweZWE$329.9M2.3%+29.2%+20%
7South AfricaZAF$316.5M2.2%+2.2%+7.8%
8United Rep. of TanzaniaTZA$186.7M1.3%+49.6%+32.4%
9SingaporeSGP$168.6M1.2%-60.4%-48.4%
10NamibiaNAM$126.9M0.9%-20.2%+7.5%

Destination risk context

RankDestinationAttentionAttention shareBelow peakApplied tariffPrimary reason
1Switzerland, Liechtenstein (CHE)Critical attention99.7%14.9%0.4%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
2Singapore (SGP)Critical attention99.5%83.5%0.4%Tariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
3South Africa (ZAF)Critical attention93.1%46.2%8.6%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
4United Arab Emirates (ARE)Watch7.4%22%5.2%Volatile products account for the largest observed corridor exposure
5Saudi Arabia (SAU)Critical attention99.8%92.3%9.9%Current trade remains materially below historical peaks
6Malawi (MWI)Critical attention97.6%27.1%24.1%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
7USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands (USA)High attention98.1%26.1%2%Tariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
8Zimbabwe (ZWE)High attention94.9%18.6%6.6%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
9China (CHN)High attention99.8%14.9%28.8%Tariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
10India (IND)High attention83.6%4.9%52.1%Volatile products account for the largest observed corridor exposure

Emerging corridor signals

RankDestinationHS6SignalMarket importsCurrent shareStrength
1Republic of Korea (KOR)847490new$34.1M0.3%100
2Sri Lanka (LKA)847710new$5.5M15.5%100
3Republic of Korea (KOR)732690new$1.5B0%100
4Kenya (KEN)250510new$1.0M35.8%100
5India (IND)721899new$247.1M0.1%100
6France (FRA)847910new$186.6M0.1%100
7Libya (LBY)240220new$736.4M0.1%100
8Spain (ESP)720421new$278.8M0.1%100
9Finland (FIN)843041new$16.2M2.5%100
10United Arab Emirates (ARE)721810new$1.3M25.5%100

Market opportunity signals

RankMarketHS6Buyer importsAddressable 3-year valueCurrent shareSignal
1China (CHN)260111$111.0B$119.1B0%Declining (-2.6%)
2USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands (USA)270900$165.0B$115.5B0%Declining (+1.1%)
3China (CHN)854231$158.0B$93.1B0%Growing (+10.5%)
4India (IND)270900$130.1B$72.9B0.1%Accelerating (-0.5%)
5China (CHN)854232$80.6B$65.7B0%Accelerating (+20.6%)
6China (CHN)854239$81.8B$61.4B0%Growing (+4%)
7USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands (USA)851712$53.9B$53.8B0%Growing (-8.8%)
8USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands (USA)847150$53.9B$45.6B0%Slowing (+60.2%)

How to read this page

Separate reported scale from calculated context.

Reported exports, imports, trade balance, sector rows, destination rows, and annual history describe merchandise trade observations for the stated country and year.

CAGR, shares, concentration measures, tariff context, exposure shares, and momentum are calculated indicators built from the available observations. They help organize research but are not additional reported trade or forecasts.

Coverage runs from 1995 through 2024 for this profile. Missing values are shown as Not reported. Read the full methodology ↗

Reported observations

OECD BIMTS merchandise trade values are the primary series for this view.

Calculated indicators

Growth, share, HHI, tariff, and exposure fields are derived from available reported values.

Coverage limits

Unavailable values remain unavailable. No company sales, shipment records, or forecasts are implied.

Questions about this profile

Zambia export capability, in context

Short answers for readers comparing country export scale, partner breadth, and calculated trade indicators.

What does the Zambia export profile measure?

It combines reported exports, imports, history, destinations, HS2 sectors, partner context, and calculated indicators for Zambia.

What is the latest reported export value for Zambia?

Zambia recorded $14.6B in reported exports in 2024.

Which markets receive the most exports from Zambia?

Switzerland, Liechtenstein leads by reported export value at $4.7B in 2024. Five destination lanes are highlighted.

Which sectors lead Zambia's exports?

Copper leads by reported value at $10.0B. Five HS2 chapters are highlighted.

How many years of Zambia trade history are available?

This sample contains 30 observed annual rows covering 1995 through 2024. Missing observations are not estimated.

Are the growth and exposure values forecasts?

No. They are calculated or classified from reported observations, not forecasts or market-access guarantees.

Continue your research

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Compare countries, products, sectors, and routes using the available trade evidence and definitions.

Data source

OECD trade statistics with CEPII context

OECD (2025), Balanced international merchandise trade statistics (BIMTS) - HS2017-6D, OECD Data Explorer (accessed on 2026-08-28). OECD BIMTS is the primary trade series for this view. Supporting bilateral trade context uses CEPII BACI bilateral trade flows (202601) under Etalab 2.0 Open Licence. Yugalinks presents derived views of reported observations and calculated indicators. Data terms: OECD Terms & Conditions.