Total debt service (% of GDP) in Zambia
Zambia: Total debt service (% of GDP) was 1.0% in 2011. ◆ Volatile
Total debt service in Zambia, 1970–2011
Source: World Bank, Global Development Finance. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2011, total debt service in Zambia stood at 1.0%.
That represents a change of up 6.4% on the previous year and down 80.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, total debt service in Zambia peaked at 75.1% in 1995 and was at its lowest, 0.4%, in 1970.
Zambia ranks 24th of 50 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.
Total debt service (% of GDP) in Zambia, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 0.4% | — |
| 1971 | 5.5% | +1273.2% |
| 1972 | 6.8% | +23.2% |
| 1973 | 15.8% | +133.6% |
| 1974 | 4.6% | -70.6% |
| 1975 | 6.9% | +49.6% |
| 1976 | 6.6% | -5.6% |
| 1977 | 10.3% | +56.6% |
| 1978 | 10.6% | +2.9% |
| 1979 | 10.1% | -4.2% |
| 1980 | 10.6% | +4.8% |
| 1981 | 10.5% | -0.8% |
| 1982 | 8.7% | -17.6% |
| 1983 | 9.0% | +3.6% |
| 1984 | 8.9% | -0.5% |
| 1985 | 6.1% | -32.2% |
| 1986 | 23.2% | +282.7% |
| 1987 | 7.6% | -67.4% |
| 1988 | 5.1% | -32.9% |
| 1989 | 4.8% | -6.2% |
| 1990 | 6.1% | +28.3% |
| 1991 | 17.6% | +187.9% |
| 1992 | 11.0% | -37.5% |
| 1993 | 11.0% | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 11.2% | +1.3% |
| 1995 | 75.1% | +571.3% |
| 1996 | 7.7% | -89.8% |
| 1997 | 6.3% | -18.0% |
| 1998 | 6.2% | -0.7% |
| 1999 | 4.9% | -22.2% |
| 2000 | 5.8% | +19.8% |
| 2001 | 5.1% | -12.1% |
| 2002 | 6.1% | +19.4% |
| 2003 | 12.9% | +110.7% |
| 2004 | 8.6% | -33.1% |
| 2005 | 4.0% | -54.1% |
| 2006 | 1.4% | -65.8% |
| 2007 | 1.1% | -20.1% |
| 2008 | 1.1% | +5.6% |
| 2009 | 1.3% | +16.8% |
| 2010 | 0.9% | -30.7% |
| 2011 | 1.0% | +6.4% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 1.0% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1.3%, 77% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 1.0% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.8%, 1.2× the median. (45 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Total debt service (% of GDP) in Zambia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | +1273.2% | 0.4% | 5.5% |
| 1995 | +571.3% | 11.2% | 75.1% |
| 1986 | +282.7% | 6.1% | 23.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 7.7% | 0.4% | 15.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 9.4% | 4.8% | 23.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 15.7% | 4.9% | 75.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.7% | 1.1% | 12.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.0% | 0.9% | 1.0% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
More external debt data for Zambia
- Net financial flows, IBRD -3.28 million NFL, current US$ (2004)
- IFC, private nonguaranteed (NFL, US$), per capita -1 NFL, US$ per person (2024)
- IFC, private nonguaranteed (NFL, US$), per unit of GDP -0.0008 NFL, US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- IFC, private nonguaranteed (NFL, US$), per square kilometre 5.15 NFL, US$ per square kilometre (2023)
- Net financial flows, IDA (NFL, current US$), per capita 15.7 NFL, current US$ per person (2024)
- Net financial flows, IDA (NFL, current US$), per unit of GDP 0.0132 NFL, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Net financial flows, IDA (NFL, current US$), per square kilometre 216.89 NFL, current US$ per square kilometre (2023)
- Use of IMF credit 3.48 billion DOD, current US$ (2025)
- External debt stocks, public and publicly guaranteed (PPG) 16.02 billion DOD, current US$ (2025)
- External debt stocks, long-term 22.00 billion DOD, current US$ (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is total debt service in Zambia?
- Total debt service in Zambia was 1.0% in 2011, according to World Bank, Global Development Finance.
- What is the highest total debt service recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 75.1% in 1995.
- What is the lowest total debt service recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.4% in 1970.
- How does Zambia rank for total debt service?
- Zambia ranks 24th out of 50 countries with data for 2011.
- Is total debt service rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 80.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank, Global Development Finance, published as part of Total debt service (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 42 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Total debt service is the sum of principal repayments and interest actually paid in currency, goods, or services on long-term debt, interest paid on short-term debt, and repayments (repurchases and charges) to the IMF.