Taxes on international trade (% of revenue) in Zambia
Zambia: Taxes on international trade (% of revenue) was 5.3% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Taxes on international trade in Zambia, 1990–2024
Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of revenue.
Analysis
In 2024, taxes on international trade in Zambia stood at 5.3%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 18.7% on the previous year and down 10.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, taxes on international trade in Zambia peaked at 35.8% in 1995 and was at its lowest, 4.4%, in 2016.
That places Zambia 66th out of 154 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Taxes on international trade (% of revenue) in Zambia, year by year
| Year | % of revenue | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 17.2% | — |
| 1991 | 27.6% | +60.8% |
| 1992 | 12.9% | -53.3% |
| 1993 | 30.4% | +136.1% |
| 1994 | 34.8% | +14.6% |
| 1995 | 35.8% | +2.7% |
| 1996 | 11.7% | -67.4% |
| 1997 | 13.0% | +11.5% |
| 1998 | 12.0% | -7.7% |
| 1999 | 12.8% | +6.5% |
| 2001 | 13.1% | +2.0% |
| 2002 | 12.4% | -5.2% |
| 2003 | 8.8% | -28.6% |
| 2004 | 8.5% | -3.7% |
| 2005 | 9.4% | +9.9% |
| 2006 | 9.1% | -2.5% |
| 2007 | 7.5% | -18.0% |
| 2008 | 9.9% | +32.6% |
| 2009 | 8.0% | -18.9% |
| 2010 | 7.7% | -3.6% |
| 2011 | 7.1% | -8.6% |
| 2012 | 8.4% | +18.6% |
| 2013 | 6.7% | -20.3% |
| 2014 | 5.9% | -11.1% |
| 2015 | 5.3% | -11.4% |
| 2016 | 4.4% | -16.7% |
| 2017 | 5.4% | +24.0% |
| 2018 | 5.6% | +3.4% |
| 2019 | 5.9% | +4.3% |
| 2020 | 5.0% | -15.3% |
| 2021 | 4.9% | -1.1% |
| 2022 | 4.4% | -10.0% |
| 2023 | 4.5% | +1.0% |
| 2024 | 5.3% | +18.7% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 5.3% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 7.8%, 68% of the median. (36 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 5.3% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 11.2%, 47% of the median. (35 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Taxes on international trade (% of revenue) in Zambia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | +136.1% | 12.9% | 30.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 20.8% | 11.7% | 35.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 9.6% | 7.5% | 13.1% | 9 |
| 2010s | 6.2% | 4.4% | 8.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.8% | 4.4% | 5.3% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 63 Dominican Republic 5.5% compare
- 64 Marshall Islands 5.4% compare
- 65 Mozambique 5.3% compare
- 67 Nauru 5.3% compare
- 68 Tonga 4.8% compare
- 69 El Salvador 4.7% compare
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 taxes on international trade in Zambia?
- Taxes on international trade in Zambia was 5.3% in 2024, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest taxes on international trade recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 35.8% in 1995.
- What is the lowest taxes on international trade recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.4% in 2016.
- How does Zambia rank for taxes on international trade?
- Zambia ranks 66th out of 154 countries with data for 2024.
- Is taxes on international trade rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- 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 Taxes on international trade (% of revenue). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Taxes on international trade are taxes that become payable when goods cross the national or customs frontiers of the economic territory or when transactions in services exchange between residents and non-residents. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of revenue which includes all transactions that add to the amount of economic value of a unit or sector.