Xifres de comerç exterior de Zàmbia

Foreign Trade in Figures

Zambia is open to foreign trade, which accounts for 78% of the country's GDP (World Bank, latest data available). Zambia's trade policy aims to diversify its economy through privatisation programs and the expansion of its export base. Copper is by far the country’s main export, accounting for 63.8% of the total in 2023, followed by electrical energy (3.8%), sulphur (2.7%), and unmanufactured tobacco (1.6%); whereas imports are led by petroleum oils (17.8%), motor vehicles for the transport of goods (5.9%), nitrogenous fertilisers (4.5%), sulphur (3.4%), and tractors (2.9% - data Comtrade, 2023).

The country is a member of COMESA and has signed Interim Economic Partnership Agreements (Interim EPAs) with the European Commission. The country became a member of the WTO in 1995. Customs duties are high, but the country has few non-tariff trade barriers. Certain products such as crude oil, medical supplies, and fertilisers are exempt from import duties. However, irregularities in the tax system and high transportation costs are real trade barriers. Zambian products are mainly exported towards Switzerland (41.4%), China (17.7%), the Democratic Republic of Congo (15.4%), Singapore (5.4%), and South Africa (3.7%); whereas imports come chiefly from South Africa (25.8%), China (16.2%), the United Arab Emirates (8.2%), India (5.6%), and Japan (5.3% - data Comtrade).

Zambia's trade balance has been experiencing a structural surplus in recent years. In 2023, however, exports of goods contracted by 17.2% y-o-y and amounted to USD 9.65 billion, while imports reached USD 9.32 billion (+3% - data WTO). As for services, exports reached USD 928 million, while imports amounted to USD 1.7 billion. The overall trade balance was estimated to be positive by 11.1% of GDP by the World Bank (from 18.2% one year earlier). According to the Zambia Statistics Agency, in 2024, Zambia's total exports were valued at ZMW 293.9 billion (around USD 11.2 billion), while total imports amounted to ZMW 293.7 billion, resulting in a slight trade surplus of ZMW 0.2 billion.