Tax revenue as share of GDP in Zambia
Zambia: Tax revenue as share of GDP was 16.2% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
16.2%
Change on year
up 0.8%
World rank
120th
of 192 countries
All-time high
22.8%
in 1980
All-time low
12.5%
in 2009
Years of data
44
1980–2023
Tax revenue as share of GDP in Zambia, 1980–2023
Source: UNU-WIDER Government Revenue Dataset (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Zambia recorded 16.2% for tax revenue as share of gdp in 2023.
That represents a change of up 0.8% on the previous year and up 15.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, tax revenue as share of gdp in Zambia peaked at 22.8% in 1980 and was at its lowest, 12.5%, in 2009.
That places Zambia 120th out of 192 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 44 years of available data.
Tax revenue as share of GDP in Zambia, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 22.8% | — |
| 1981 | 18.3% | -19.7% |
| 1982 | 18.6% | +1.6% |
| 1983 | 18.9% | +1.7% |
| 1984 | 21.4% | +13.2% |
| 1985 | 17.3% | -19.2% |
| 1986 | 19.6% | +13.2% |
| 1987 | 17.7% | -9.6% |
| 1988 | 13.7% | -22.5% |
| 1989 | 16.4% | +19.3% |
| 1990 | 18.2% | +11.2% |
| 1991 | 16.7% | -8.2% |
| 1992 | 16.0% | -4.0% |
| 1993 | 14.0% | -12.5% |
| 1994 | 17.1% | +21.9% |
| 1995 | 16.6% | -3.0% |
| 1996 | 17.3% | +4.2% |
| 1997 | 17.1% | -1.2% |
| 1998 | 16.6% | -2.8% |
| 1999 | 15.9% | -4.5% |
| 2000 | 17.2% | +8.7% |
| 2001 | 16.6% | -3.9% |
| 2002 | 15.4% | -6.8% |
| 2003 | 15.3% | -1.0% |
| 2004 | 15.3% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 14.8% | -3.1% |
| 2006 | 13.7% | -7.3% |
| 2007 | 14.5% | +5.8% |
| 2008 | 14.4% | -1.1% |
| 2009 | 12.5% | -13.2% |
| 2010 | 13.5% | +8.0% |
| 2011 | 15.8% | +17.2% |
| 2012 | 14.7% | -7.1% |
| 2013 | 14.1% | -4.0% |
| 2014 | 15.5% | +9.8% |
| 2015 | 14.4% | -6.8% |
| 2016 | 13.3% | -7.4% |
| 2017 | 15.2% | +13.7% |
| 2018 | 16.1% | +5.9% |
| 2019 | 16.1% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 15.7% | -2.7% |
| 2021 | 16.1% | +2.6% |
| 2022 | 16.1% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 16.2% | +0.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 18.5% | 13.7% | 22.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 16.6% | 14.0% | 18.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 15.0% | 12.5% | 17.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.9% | 13.3% | 16.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 16.0% | 15.7% | 16.2% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
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)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps 310.54 million BoP, current US$ (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0123 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 14.57 BoP, current US$ per person (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 2.36 billion BoP, current US$ (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual 268.02 % change on previous year (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0932 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 110.69 BoP, current US$ per person (2024)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate 28.89 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is tax revenue as share of gdp in Zambia?
- Tax revenue as share of gdp in Zambia was 16.2% in 2023, according to UNU-WIDER Government Revenue Dataset (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest tax revenue as share of gdp recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 22.8% in 1980.
- What is the lowest tax revenue as share of gdp recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.5% in 2009.
- How does Zambia rank for tax revenue as share of gdp?
- Zambia ranks 120th out of 192 countries with data for 2023.
- Is tax revenue as share of gdp rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from UNU-WIDER Government Revenue Dataset (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Tax revenue as share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 44 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Direct and indirect taxes as well as social contributions included.