Merchandise trade to GDP ratio in Zambia
Zambia: Merchandise trade to GDP ratio was 83.1% in 2011. ▼ Falling
Latest (2011)
83.1%
Change on year
up 1.7%
World rank
22nd
of 53 countries
All-time high
96.9%
in 1964
All-time low
59.5%
in 1988
Years of data
52
1960–2011
Merchandise trade to GDP ratio in Zambia, 1960–2011
Source: World Bank country economists. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2011, merchandise trade to gdp ratio in Zambia stood at 83.1%.
That represents a change of up 1.7% on the previous year and up 14.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise trade to gdp ratio in Zambia peaked at 96.9% in 1964 and was at its lowest, 59.5%, in 1988.
That places Zambia 22nd out of 53 countries with data for 2011, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 52 years of available data.
Merchandise trade to GDP ratio in Zambia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 95.3% | — |
| 1961 | 92.4% | -3.1% |
| 1962 | 95.2% | +3.0% |
| 1963 | 94.5% | -0.8% |
| 1964 | 96.9% | +2.5% |
| 1965 | 83.9% | -13.4% |
| 1966 | 89.4% | +6.5% |
| 1967 | 93.1% | +4.1% |
| 1968 | 90.3% | -3.0% |
| 1969 | 93.6% | +3.7% |
| 1970 | 90.5% | -3.4% |
| 1971 | 86.9% | -3.9% |
| 1972 | 86.0% | -1.0% |
| 1973 | 82.5% | -4.2% |
| 1974 | 91.3% | +10.7% |
| 1975 | 92.8% | +1.7% |
| 1976 | 81.7% | -12.0% |
| 1977 | 81.3% | -0.6% |
| 1978 | 70.5% | -13.3% |
| 1979 | 81.9% | +16.2% |
| 1980 | 86.8% | +6.0% |
| 1981 | 69.8% | -19.6% |
| 1982 | 64.2% | -8.1% |
| 1983 | 64.4% | +0.4% |
| 1984 | 68.3% | +6.0% |
| 1985 | 73.6% | +7.8% |
| 1986 | 86.0% | +16.8% |
| 1987 | 75.2% | -12.6% |
| 1988 | 59.5% | -20.9% |
| 1989 | 60.6% | +1.9% |
| 1990 | 72.5% | +19.5% |
| 1991 | 71.9% | -0.8% |
| 1992 | 84.4% | +17.4% |
| 1993 | 74.0% | -12.3% |
| 1994 | 72.8% | -1.5% |
| 1995 | 75.8% | +4.1% |
| 1996 | 70.2% | -7.4% |
| 1997 | 64.1% | -8.7% |
| 1998 | 61.5% | -4.1% |
| 1999 | 65.0% | +5.7% |
| 2000 | 66.8% | +2.9% |
| 2001 | 72.5% | +8.4% |
| 2002 | 70.2% | -3.2% |
| 2003 | 69.7% | -0.6% |
| 2004 | 77.8% | +11.5% |
| 2005 | 71.2% | -8.4% |
| 2006 | 68.6% | -3.7% |
| 2007 | 80.1% | +16.8% |
| 2008 | 72.6% | -9.3% |
| 2009 | 67.2% | -7.5% |
| 2010 | 81.7% | +21.6% |
| 2011 | 83.1% | +1.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 92.4% | 83.9% | 96.9% | 10 |
| 1970s | 84.5% | 70.5% | 92.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 70.8% | 59.5% | 86.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 71.2% | 61.5% | 84.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 71.7% | 66.8% | 80.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 82.4% | 81.7% | 83.1% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 19 Ghana 89.2% compare
- 20 Côte d'Ivoire 84.3% compare
- 21 Botswana 83.5% compare
- 23 Morocco 82.6% compare
- 24 Tanzania, United Republic of 81.3% compare
- 25 Guinea-Bissau 81.0% compare
More economy & growth data for Zambia
- 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)
- External balance on goods and services (current US$), annual growth 97.55 % change on previous year (2024)
- External balance on goods and services (current LCU), annual growth 155.74 % change on previous year (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current LCU), annual 58.8 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current LCU), per 1.03 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current LCU), per 1,360 current LCU per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (constant 2015 US$) 51.13 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (constant 2015 US$) 0.0433 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (constant 2015 US$) 57.08 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise trade to gdp ratio in Zambia?
- Merchandise trade to gdp ratio in Zambia was 83.1% in 2011, according to World Bank country economists.
- What is the highest merchandise trade to gdp ratio recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 96.9% in 1964.
- What is the lowest merchandise trade to gdp ratio recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 59.5% in 1988.
- How does Zambia rank for merchandise trade to gdp ratio?
- Zambia ranks 22nd out of 53 countries with data for 2011.
- Is merchandise trade to gdp ratio rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank country economists, published as part of Merchandise trade to GDP ratio (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 52 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Merchandise trade as a share of GDP is the sum of merchandise exports and imports divided by the value of GDP, all in current US dollars and from the national accounts.