Zambia

Zambia: sluggish, near-stagnant growth, 1980–2025

A copper-dependent economy since independence, Zambia has cycled with global copper prices and, in 2020, became one of the first African nations to default on its debt during the pandemic era. Between 1980 and 2025, Zambia's GDP per capita grew from $669 to $1,318 (current US$), a compound annual growth rate of 1.5% — sluggish, near-stagnant growth. Annual GDP growth averaged 3.6% with a year-to-year standard deviation of 3.7 points, reflecting relatively stable macroeconomic conditions. Structurally, agriculture's share of the economy moved from 14.0% to 4.1% of GDP (a classic decline as the economy industrialized/modernized), while services rose from 30.6% to 57.0% of GDP, underscoring a shift toward a services-driven economy. On human development, life expectancy rose from 55.5 to 66.5 years, while tertiary school enrollment moved from 1.4% to 4.0%, while the urban population share grew from 39.9% to 45.9%.

What this growth cost: Growth was not without cost: per-capita CO2 emissions fell from 0.65 to 0.54 tonnes CO2e per person; income inequality (Gini index) narrowed from 59.4 to 51.5; the poverty headcount ratio increased from 63.0% to 71.7%.