Zambia: Charges for the use of intellectual property, payments (BoP, current US$)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2025, Zambia's charges for the use of intellectual property, payments (BoP, current US$) fell US$6.74 million on 2024 (from US$32.54 million to US$25.8 million).

Across the 25 yearly changes before that (1998 to 2024), the average change was +US$1.31 million and a typical year strayed about US$9.6 million from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.8 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was US$32.71 million in 2018 and the biggest yearly fall was US$18.1 million in 2019. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2016 to 2025 the straight-line trend is upward, about US$2.21 million a year. A straight line explains 31% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2025, Zambia had the 91st highest value of the 117 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Zambia in the 2025 ranking

• Mongolia — 88th of 117: US$45.74 million
• Albania — 89th of 117: US$42.71 million
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 90th of 117: US$27.76 million
• Panama — 92nd of 117: US$24.68 million
• Brunei Darussalam — 93rd of 117: US$22.15 million
• Belize — 94th of 117: US$19.16 million

What this measures

Charges for the use of proprietary rights (such as patents, trademarks, copyrights, industrial processes and designs including trade secrets, franchises), and charges for licenses to reproduce or distribute (or both) intellectual property embodied in produced originals or prototypes (such as copyrights on books and manuscripts, computer software, cinematographic works, and sound recordings) and related rights (such as for live performances and television, cable, or satellite broadcast). This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This indicator is expressed in United States dollars.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a sum.

All 28 values

Charges for the use of intellectual property, payments (BoP, current US$) in nearby economies

• Angola — US$106.74 million (2025)
• Benin — US$401,153 (2020)
• Botswana — US$75.39 million (2025)
• Burkina Faso — US$387,343 (2024)
• Burundi — US$588,733 (2025)
• Cabo Verde — US$2.46 million (2025)
• Cameroon — US$62.28 million (2024)
• Comoros — US$2.36 million (2023)
• Côte d'Ivoire

More economic policy & debt data for Zambia

• Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$) — US$1.19 billion (2025)
• Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current LCU) — 29.79 billion (2025)
• Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (% of GDP) — 4.11% (2025)
• Manufacturing, value added (current US$) — US$2.53 billion (2025)
• Manufacturing, value added (current LCU) — 63.49 billion (2025)
• Manufacturing, value added (% of GDP) — 8.75% (2025)
• Industry, including construction, value added (current US$) — US$10.2 billion (2025)
• Industry, including construction, value added (current LCU) — 256.39 billion (2025)
• Industry, including construction, value added (% of GDP)

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Questions people ask

What is Zambia's charges for the use of intellectual property, payments (BoP, current US$)?

US$25.8 million in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1997?

It is up 25,896% from −US$100,000 in 1997. The highest value was US$35 million in 2018 and the lowest −US$100,000 in 1997.

How does Zambia rank?

91st highest of 117 economies with data for 2025.

Is the latest change in charges for the use of intellectual property, payments (BoP, current US$) unusual for Zambia?

In 2025, Zambia's charges for the use of intellectual property, payments (BoP, current US$) fell US$6.74 million on 2024 (from US$32.54 million to US$25.8 million). Across the 25 yearly changes before that (1998 to 2024), the average change was +US$1.31 million and a typical year strayed about US$9.6 million from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.8 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator BM.GSR.ROYL.CD, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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