Government debt
Zambia
Zambia. General government gross debt. Put borrowing in the context of the economy and explore how it has changed over time.
What the figures show
History / IMF estimatesZambia: IMF data and estimates put government debt at 100.6% of GDP in 2025. The derived debt amount is US$ 28.9 billion.
- The debt-to-GDP ratio is 24.9 percentage points below its 2024 level.
- This is above the median of 52.85% of GDP across 192 countries with data for the selected year.
- Over 2015–2025, the debt-to-GDP ratio increases by 38.7 percentage points.
The median is not weighted by economic size. A change in the debt-to-GDP ratio does not necessarily imply the same change in the debt amount. About the data ↗
Government debt over time
Debt as % of GDP. Dashed lines: current-year estimate/projection and future projections.
Chart data table
| Year | Zambia (%) | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2031 | 56.7 | IMF projection |
| 2030 | 61.9 | IMF projection |
| 2029 | 67.2 | IMF projection |
| 2028 | 72.2 | IMF projection |
| 2027 | 77.0 | IMF projection |
| 2026 | 82.1 | IMF estimate / projection |
| 2025 | 100.6 | History / IMF estimates |
| 2024 | 125.5 | History / IMF estimates |
| 2023 | 136.8 | History / IMF estimates |
| 2022 | 99.5 | History / IMF estimates |
| 2021 | 111.0 | History / IMF estimates |
| 2020 | 140.0 | History / IMF estimates |
| 2019 | 103.3 | History / IMF estimates |
| 2018 | 81.2 | History / IMF estimates |
| 2017 | 66.6 | History / IMF estimates |
| 2016 | 61.2 | History / IMF estimates |
| 2015 | 61.9 | History / IMF estimates |
| 2014 | 33.9 | History / IMF estimates |
| 2013 | 25.9 | History / IMF estimates |
| 2012 | 24.9 | History / IMF estimates |
| 2011 | 20.8 | History / IMF estimates |
| 2010 | 18.9 | History / IMF estimates |
| 2009 | 20.5 | History / IMF estimates |
| 2008 | 19.2 | History / IMF estimates |
| 2007 | 21.9 | History / IMF estimates |
| 2006 | 25.0 | History / IMF estimates |
| 2005 | 75.7 | History / IMF estimates |
| 2004 | 129.9 | History / IMF estimates |
| 2003 | 159.5 | History / IMF estimates |
| 2002 | 180.2 | History / IMF estimates |
| 2001 | 210.2 | History / IMF estimates |
| 2000 | 261.0 | History / IMF estimates |
The DataMapper API does not provide the actual/estimate cutoff for each country and series. Past years are therefore labelled history/IMF estimates, the current year estimate/projection, and later years projections. Historical values can be revised. There is no simulated real-time debt counter.
Source: IMF WEO · World Economic Outlook (October 2026) · Retrieved 2026-11-01. About the data