# Zambia — national dossier Zambia — economy, society, governance, health, education, technology, geography, resources and military in one sourced dossier: 44 indicators, each with… Canonical: https://terralore.co/country/ZMB Updated: 2026-08-14 (latest domain refresh; each figure carries its own observation year) ## Overview - Official name: Republic of Zambia - Capital: Lusaka - Region: Eastern Africa, Africa - Population: 16 m - Area: 752,612 km² - Languages: English - Currency: Zambian kwacha (ZMW) A "—" is an absence in the source data, never a zero. Each figure shows the year it was observed — vintages differ by indicator and nation. ## Economy | Metric | Value | Observed | Source | |---|---|---|---| | GDP | $29 B | 2025 | World Development Indicators | | GDP per capita | $1,318 | 2025 | World Development Indicators | | GDP growth | 3.8% | 2025 | World Development Indicators | | Inflation | 13.9% | 2025 | World Development Indicators | | Trade openness | 62.5% | 2024 | World Development Indicators | ## Society | Metric | Value | Observed | Source | |---|---|---|---| | Population | 22 m | 2025 | World Development Indicators | | Life expectancy | 66.5 yrs | 2024 | World Development Indicators | | Urban population | 45.9% | 2025 | World Development Indicators | | Fertility rate | 4.0 | 2024 | World Development Indicators | | Literacy rate | 71.8% | 2024 | World Development Indicators | ## Governance | Metric | Value | Observed | Source | |---|---|---|---| | Voice & accountability | 49.7 | 2024 | Worldwide Governance Indicators (via World Bank API) | | Political stability | 64.2 | 2024 | Worldwide Governance Indicators (via World Bank API) | | Government effectiveness | 41.0 | 2024 | Worldwide Governance Indicators (via World Bank API) | | Regulatory quality | 48.2 | 2024 | Worldwide Governance Indicators (via World Bank API) | | Rule of law | 47.3 | 2024 | Worldwide Governance Indicators (via World Bank API) | | Control of corruption | 38.6 | 2024 | Worldwide Governance Indicators (via World Bank API) | ## Health | Metric | Value | Observed | Source | |---|---|---|---| | Health spending | 6.0% | 2023 | Global Health Observatory (WHO, via World Bank WDI) | | Physicians | 0.32 | 2022 | Global Health Observatory (WHO, via World Bank WDI) | | Under-5 mortality | 48.4 | 2024 | Child mortality & immunisation estimates (UN IGME and WHO/UNICEF, via World Bank WDI) | | Measles immunisation | 88.0% | 2024 | Child mortality & immunisation estimates (UN IGME and WHO/UNICEF, via World Bank WDI) | ## Education | Metric | Value | Observed | Source | |---|---|---|---| | Adult literacy | 71.8% | 2024 | R&D statistics (UNESCO UIS, via World Bank WDI) | | Education spending | 4.1% | 2023 | R&D statistics (UNESCO UIS, via World Bank WDI) | | Primary enrolment | 115.6% | 2024 | R&D statistics (UNESCO UIS, via World Bank WDI) | | Secondary enrolment | 56.8% | 2024 | R&D statistics (UNESCO UIS, via World Bank WDI) | | Tertiary enrolment | 4.0% | 2012 | R&D statistics (UNESCO UIS, via World Bank WDI) | ## Technology | Metric | Value | Observed | Source | |---|---|---|---| | R&D spending | 0.3% | 2008 | R&D statistics (UNESCO UIS, via World Bank WDI) | | Researchers (per million) | 42 | 2008 | R&D statistics (UNESCO UIS, via World Bank WDI) | | Internet users | 17.1% | 2024 | ICT indicators (ITU, via World Bank WDI) | | Mobile subscriptions | 109 | 2024 | ICT indicators (ITU, via World Bank WDI) | | High-tech exports | 1.5% | 2024 | World Development Indicators | ## Geography | Metric | Value | Observed | Source | |---|---|---|---| | Land area | 743,390 km² | 2023 | World Development Indicators | | Forest area | 59.5% | 2023 | World Development Indicators | | Agricultural land | 32.1% | 2023 | World Development Indicators | | CO₂ per capita (t) | 0.5 | 2024 | World Development Indicators | | Renewable energy | 83.0% | 2021 | World Development Indicators | ## Resources | Metric | Value | Observed | Source | |---|---|---|---| | Resource rents | 35.3% | 2021 | World Development Indicators | | Oil rents | 0.0% | 2021 | World Development Indicators | | Mineral rents | 28.2% | 2021 | World Development Indicators | | Forest rents | 6.8% | 2021 | World Development Indicators | | Electricity access | 53.6% | 2024 | World Development Indicators | | Copper (mined) | 940 kt | 2025 | Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 | ## Military | Metric | Value | Observed | Source | |---|---|---|---| | Military burden | 1.3% | 2024 | Military Expenditure Database (via World Development Indicators) | | Defense spending | $350 M | 2024 | Military Expenditure Database (via World Development Indicators) | | Armed forces | 16,000 | 2020 | Military Expenditure Database (via World Development Indicators) | Every metric above is also ranked across all nations: https://terralore.co/rankings (markdown twins at /rankings/.md). Machine-readable claims — every figure above as an addressable claim ID (TL:ZMB::) with value, source, license and a ready citation string: https://terralore.co/country/ZMB.claims.json History: "From Iron Age farmers and the kingdoms of the Zambezi and Luapula to the Copperbelt, Northern Rhodesia, and a landlocked African republic." — the sourced chronicle is at https://terralore.co/country/ZMB/chronicle.md (6 eras, 28 events). ## Sources - World Development Indicators — World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-14 · https://data.worldbank.org - Worldwide Governance Indicators (via World Bank API) — Worldwide Governance Indicators / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-14 · https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/worldwide-governance-indicators - Global Health Observatory (WHO, via World Bank WDI) — WHO / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-14 · https://www.who.int/data/gho - Child mortality & immunisation estimates (UN IGME and WHO/UNICEF, via World Bank WDI) — UNICEF and WHO / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-14 · https://childmortality.org - R&D statistics (UNESCO UIS, via World Bank WDI) — UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-14 · https://uis.unesco.org - ICT indicators (ITU, via World Bank WDI) — ITU / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-14 · https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics - Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 — U.S. Geological Survey · Public domain (U.S. Government work) · accessed 2026-08-14 · https://www.usgs.gov/centers/national-minerals-information-center - Military Expenditure Database (via World Development Indicators) — SIPRI / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-14 · https://www.sipri.org/databases/milex Citation template: Terralore, "Zambia — national dossier", terralore.co/country/ZMB, retrieved .