Tax revenue (% of GDP) in Zambia
Zambia: Tax revenue (% of GDP) was 18.8% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Tax revenue in Zambia, 1990–2024
Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for tax revenue in Zambia is 18.8%, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of up 9.0% on the previous year and up 19.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, tax revenue in Zambia peaked at 19.5% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 11.7%, in 2009.
That places Zambia 58th out of 157 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Tax revenue (% of GDP) in Zambia, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 19.5% | — |
| 1991 | 17.5% | -10.2% |
| 1992 | 18.7% | +7.0% |
| 1993 | 15.0% | -19.6% |
| 1994 | 17.2% | +14.6% |
| 1995 | 15.7% | -9.0% |
| 1996 | 16.1% | +2.7% |
| 1997 | 16.1% | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 16.2% | +0.9% |
| 1999 | 17.0% | +4.7% |
| 2001 | 16.5% | -2.4% |
| 2002 | 15.4% | -6.7% |
| 2003 | 14.9% | -3.8% |
| 2004 | 15.3% | +3.1% |
| 2005 | 14.8% | -3.4% |
| 2006 | 13.7% | -7.3% |
| 2007 | 14.1% | +2.7% |
| 2008 | 13.3% | -5.8% |
| 2009 | 11.7% | -11.9% |
| 2010 | 12.8% | +9.8% |
| 2011 | 14.7% | +14.7% |
| 2012 | 14.9% | +1.2% |
| 2013 | 14.3% | -3.7% |
| 2014 | 15.8% | +9.9% |
| 2015 | 14.4% | -8.7% |
| 2016 | 13.4% | -7.2% |
| 2017 | 15.2% | +13.7% |
| 2018 | 16.6% | +9.2% |
| 2019 | 16.7% | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 16.4% | -1.6% |
| 2021 | 16.8% | +2.2% |
| 2022 | 16.8% | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 17.3% | +2.8% |
| 2024 | 18.8% | +9.0% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 18.8% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 13.9%, 1.4× the median. (36 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 18.8% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 12.6%, 1.5× the median. (36 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 16.9% | 15.0% | 19.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 14.4% | 11.7% | 16.5% | 9 |
| 2010s | 14.9% | 12.8% | 16.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.2% | 16.4% | 18.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
More public sector data for Zambia
- Democracy, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Elected parliament, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote in practice, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Arms imports 1.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0.0469 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate -80 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is tax revenue in Zambia?
- Tax revenue in Zambia was 18.8% in 2024, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest tax revenue recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 19.5% in 1990.
- What is the lowest tax revenue recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.7% in 2009.
- How does Zambia rank for tax revenue?
- Zambia ranks 58th out of 157 countries with data for 2024.
- Is tax revenue rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 19.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Tax revenue (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Taxes are compulsory, unrequited payments, in cash or in kind, made by institutional units to government units. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.