Foreign direct investment, net outflows in Zambia

Zambia: Foreign direct investment, net outflows was 1.2% in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
1.2%
Change on year
up 120.9%
World rank
45th
of 191 countries
All-time high
5.4%
in 2010
All-time low
-3.6%
in 2014
Years of data
29
1978–2024

Foreign direct investment, net outflows in Zambia, 1978–2024

-4-202461978200120241978: 0 % of GDP1979: 0 % of GDP1980: 0 % of GDP1981: 0 % of GDP1982: 0 % of GDP1983: 0 % of GDP1984: 0 % of GDP1985: 0 % of GDP1986: 0 % of GDP1987: 0 % of GDP1988: 0 % of GDP1989: 0 % of GDP2004: -0.402 % of GDP2009: 1.8 % of GDP2010: 5.4 % of GDP2011: -0.006 % of GDP2012: -2.8 % of GDP2013: 1.5 % of GDP2014: -3.6 % of GDP2015: -0.666 % of GDP2016: 0.843 % of GDP2017: -0.278 % of GDP2018: 0.172 % of GDP2019: 3 % of GDP2020: 0.353 % of GDP2021: -1.3 % of GDP2022: -0.867 % of GDP2023: 0.556 % of GDP2024: 1.2 % of GDP

Source: Balance of Payments database, International Monetary Fund (IMF), note: International Monetary Fund, Balance of Payments database, supplemented by data from the United Nations Conference on Trade and D. Measured in % of GDP.

Analysis

In 2024, foreign direct investment, net outflows in Zambia stood at 1.2%.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 120.9% on the previous year and up 134.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, foreign direct investment, net outflows in Zambia peaked at 5.4% in 2010 and was at its lowest, -3.6%, in 2014.

That places Zambia 45th out of 191 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Foreign direct investment, net outflows in Zambia, year by year

Annual values for Foreign direct investment, net outflows (% of GDP) in Zambia, 1978 to 2024.
Year % of GDP Change
1978 0.0%
1979 0.0%
1980 0.0%
1981 0.0%
1982 0.0%
1983 0.0%
1984 0.0%
1985 0.0%
1986 0.0%
1987 0.0%
1988 0.0%
1989 0.0%
2004 -0.4%
2009 1.8% -537.6%
2010 5.4% +207.4%
2011 -0.0% -100.1%
2012 -2.8% +46018.2%
2013 1.5% -153.1%
2014 -3.6% -346.2%
2015 -0.7% -81.5%
2016 0.8% -226.6%
2017 -0.3% -133.0%
2018 0.2% -161.9%
2019 3.0% +1634.0%
2020 0.4% -88.2%
2021 -1.3% -459.0%
2022 -0.9% -31.6%
2023 0.6% -164.1%
2024 1.2% +120.9%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2
1980s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 10
2000s 0.7% -0.4% 1.8% 2
2010s 0.4% -3.6% 5.4% 10
2020s 0.0% -1.3% 1.2% 5

Countries ranked near Zambia

  1. 42 Serbia 1.3% compare
  2. 43 Brazil 1.3% compare
  3. 44 Eswatini 1.3% compare
  4. 46 Slovakia 1.2% compare
  5. 47 Sweden 1.2% compare
  6. 48 Azerbaijan 1.2% compare

See the full ranking of 238 places →

More economy & growth data for Zambia

All data for Zambia →

Frequently asked questions

What is foreign direct investment, net outflows in Zambia?
Foreign direct investment, net outflows in Zambia was 1.2% in 2024, according to Balance of Payments database, International Monetary Fund (IMF), note: International Monetary Fund, Balance of Payments database, supplemented by data from the United Nations Conference on Trade and D.
What is the highest foreign direct investment, net outflows recorded in Zambia?
The highest recorded value was 5.4% in 2010.
What is the lowest foreign direct investment, net outflows recorded in Zambia?
The lowest recorded value was -3.6% in 2014.
How does Zambia rank for foreign direct investment, net outflows?
Zambia ranks 45th out of 191 countries with data for 2024.
Is foreign direct investment, net outflows rising or falling in Zambia?
Over the last ten years it is up 134.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Zambia data come from?
The figures come from Balance of Payments database, International Monetary Fund (IMF), note: International Monetary Fund, Balance of Payments database, supplemented by data from the United Nations Conference on Trade and D, published as part of Foreign direct investment, net outflows (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 29 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Foreign direct investment, net outflows in Zambia. Statizoid, drawing on Balance of Payments database, International Monetary Fund (IMF), note: International Monetary Fund, Balance of Payments database, supplemented by data from the United Nations Conference on Trade and D. Retrieved 08 September 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/stat/foreign-direct-investment-net-outflows-percent-of-gdp/zambia/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://economy.statizoid.com/stat/foreign-direct-investment-net-outflows-percent-of-gdp/zambia/">Foreign direct investment, net outflows in Zambia</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Foreign direct investment, net outflows (% of GDP)
Unit
% of GDP
Source
Balance of Payments database, International Monetary Fund (IMF), note: International Monetary Fund, Balance of Payments database, supplemented by data from the United Nations Conference on Trade and D
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
238 places, 9,462 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

Foreign direct investment refers to direct investment equity flows in an economy. It is the sum of equity capital, reinvestment of earnings, and other capital. Direct investment is a category of cross-border investment associated with a resident in one economy having control or a significant degree of influence on the management of an enterprise that is resident in another economy. Ownership of 10 percent or more of the ordinary shares of voting stock is the criterion for determining the existence of a direct investment relationship. This series shows net outflows of investment from the reporting economy to the rest of the world, and is divided by GDP.