Current account balance (BoP, current US$) in Zambia
Zambia: Current account balance (BoP, current US$) was -1.58 billion BoP, current US$ in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Current account balance in Zambia, 1978–2025
Source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in BoP, current US$.
Analysis
The most recent figure for current account balance in Zambia is -1.58 billion BoP, current US$, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 43 years on record.
The figure is down 41.3% on the previous year and down 105.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, current account balance in Zambia peaked at 2.63 billion BoP, current US$ in 2021 and was at its lowest, -1.58 billion BoP, current US$, in 2025.
That places Zambia 142nd out of 200 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Current account balance (BoP, current US$) in Zambia, year by year
| Year | BoP, current US$ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | -280.60 million BoP, current US$ | — |
| 1979 | 78.00 million BoP, current US$ | -127.8% |
| 1980 | -516.30 million BoP, current US$ | -761.9% |
| 1981 | -720.60 million BoP, current US$ | +39.6% |
| 1982 | -560.60 million BoP, current US$ | -22.2% |
| 1983 | -263.00 million BoP, current US$ | -53.1% |
| 1984 | -146.60 million BoP, current US$ | -44.3% |
| 1985 | -395.30 million BoP, current US$ | +169.6% |
| 1986 | -347.60 million BoP, current US$ | -12.1% |
| 1987 | -245.20 million BoP, current US$ | -29.5% |
| 1988 | -293.20 million BoP, current US$ | +19.6% |
| 1989 | -218.60 million BoP, current US$ | -25.4% |
| 1990 | -594.40 million BoP, current US$ | +171.9% |
| 1991 | -305.70 million BoP, current US$ | -48.6% |
| 1997 | -182.00 million BoP, current US$ | -40.5% |
| 1998 | -570.40 million BoP, current US$ | +213.4% |
| 1999 | -386.40 million BoP, current US$ | -32.3% |
| 2000 | -662.45 million BoP, current US$ | +71.4% |
| 2001 | -737.03 million BoP, current US$ | +11.3% |
| 2002 | -663.22 million BoP, current US$ | -10.0% |
| 2003 | -663.22 million BoP, current US$ | -0.0% |
| 2004 | -444.73 million BoP, current US$ | -32.9% |
| 2005 | -232.04 million BoP, current US$ | -47.8% |
| 2006 | 592.52 million BoP, current US$ | -355.4% |
| 2007 | -174.03 million BoP, current US$ | -129.4% |
| 2008 | -596.53 million BoP, current US$ | +242.8% |
| 2009 | 912.56 million BoP, current US$ | -253.0% |
| 2010 | 1.53 billion BoP, current US$ | +67.1% |
| 2011 | 1.09 billion BoP, current US$ | -28.3% |
| 2012 | 1.37 billion BoP, current US$ | +25.5% |
| 2013 | -161.48 million BoP, current US$ | -111.8% |
| 2014 | -387.33 million BoP, current US$ | +139.9% |
| 2015 | -767.65 million BoP, current US$ | +98.2% |
| 2016 | -953.96 million BoP, current US$ | +24.3% |
| 2017 | -435.00 million BoP, current US$ | -54.4% |
| 2018 | -342.36 million BoP, current US$ | -21.3% |
| 2019 | 140.71 million BoP, current US$ | -141.1% |
| 2020 | 2.14 billion BoP, current US$ | +1419.9% |
| 2021 | 2.63 billion BoP, current US$ | +23.0% |
| 2022 | 1.09 billion BoP, current US$ | -58.4% |
| 2023 | -837.68 million BoP, current US$ | -176.7% |
| 2024 | -1.12 billion BoP, current US$ | +33.2% |
| 2025 | -1.58 billion BoP, current US$ | +41.3% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's -1.58 billion BoP, current US$ is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is -203.16 million BoP, current US$, 7.8× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Zambia's -1.58 billion BoP, current US$ is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is -461.46 million BoP, current US$, 3.4× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Current account balance (BoP, current US$) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +1419.9% | 140.71 million BoP, current US$ | 2.14 billion BoP, current US$ |
| 1980 | -761.9% | 78.00 million BoP, current US$ | -516.30 million BoP, current US$ |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | -101.30 million BoP, current US$ | -280.60 million BoP, current US$ | 78.00 million BoP, current US$ | 2 |
| 1980s | -370.70 million BoP, current US$ | -720.60 million BoP, current US$ | -146.60 million BoP, current US$ | 10 |
| 1990s | -407.78 million BoP, current US$ | -594.40 million BoP, current US$ | -182.00 million BoP, current US$ | 5 |
| 2000s | -266.82 million BoP, current US$ | -737.03 million BoP, current US$ | 912.56 million BoP, current US$ | 10 |
| 2010s | 108.26 million BoP, current US$ | -953.96 million BoP, current US$ | 1.53 billion BoP, current US$ | 10 |
| 2020s | 388.28 million BoP, current US$ | -1.58 billion BoP, current US$ | 2.63 billion BoP, current US$ | 6 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 139 Bosnia and Herzegovina -1.32 billion BoP, current US$ compare
- 140 Tunisia -1.33 billion BoP, current US$ compare
- 141 Iceland -1.50 billion BoP, current US$ compare
- 143 Benin -1.61 billion BoP, current US$ compare
- 144 Dominican Republic -1.75 billion BoP, current US$ compare
- 145 Cameroon -1.75 billion BoP, current US$ compare
More economy & growth data for Zambia
- Real gdp growth, annual growth rate -28.84 % change on previous year (2024)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 2.31 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 4.92 Percent per annum (2029)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, annual growth rate 13.19 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.1053 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per capita 138.75 units per person (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, annual growth rate 7.79 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per unit of GDP 0.0769 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per capita 101.32 units per person (2025)
- IMF holdings of currency, US dollar, annual growth rate 5.01 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is current account balance in Zambia?
- Current account balance in Zambia was -1.58 billion BoP, current US$ in 2025, according to Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest current account balance recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 2.63 billion BoP, current US$ in 2021.
- What is the lowest current account balance recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was -1.58 billion BoP, current US$ in 2025.
- How does Zambia rank for current account balance?
- Zambia ranks 142nd out of 200 countries with data for 2025.
- Is current account balance rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 105.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- 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 Current account balance (BoP, current US$). 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
Balance of current transactions (transactions in goods and services, earned income and transfer income) between residents and non-residents. The term current account balance is used in the external accounts and is expressed from the perspective of resident units. The term current external balance is used in the national accounts and is expressed from the perspective of the non-resident units, and therefore with the opposite sign. 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.