Zambia: Domestic credit provided by financial sector (% of GDP)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2025, Zambia's domestic credit provided by financial sector (% of GDP) rose 2.53 percentage points on 2024 (from 35.19% to 37.72%).

Across the 13 yearly changes before that (2012 to 2024), the average change was +1.08 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 4.21 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 standard deviations above 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 7.93 percentage points in 2020 and the biggest yearly fall was 7.61 percentage points in 2021. 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 0.82 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 34% 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 32nd highest value of the 38 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

• Guatemala — 28th of 38: 45.92%
• Argentina — 29th of 38: 42.02%
• Kazakhstan — 30th of 38: 41.56%
• Moldova — 32nd of 38: 36.31%
• Solomon Islands — 33rd of 38: 34.91%
• Papua New Guinea — 34th of 38: 34.54%

What this measures

Domestic credit provided by the financial sector includes all credit to various sectors on a gross basis, with the exception of credit to the central government, which is net. The financial sector includes monetary authorities and deposit money banks, as well as other financial corporations where data are available (including corporations that do not accept transferable deposits but do incur such liabilities as time and savings deposits). Examples of other financial corporations are finance and leasing companies, money lenders, insurance corporations, pension funds, and foreign exchange companies. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.

Limitations: In a few countries governments may hold international reserves as deposits in the banking system rather than in the central bank. Since claims on the central government are a net item (claims on the central government minus central government deposits), the figure may be negative, resulting in a negative figure for domestic credit provided by the banking sector.

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

All 15 values

Domestic credit provided by financial sector (% of GDP) in nearby economies

• Angola — 14.78% (2025)
• Cabo Verde — 70% (2024)
• Kenya — 55.7% (2023)
• Namibia — 80.4% (2024)
• South Africa — 123.42% (2024)
• Uganda — 33.98% (2024)

More financial sector data for Zambia

• GDP deflator (base year varies by country) — 415.22 (2025)
• DEC alternative conversion factor (LCU per US$) — US$25.13 (2025)
• Official exchange rate (LCU per US$, period average) — US$25.28 (2025)
• Inflation, GDP deflator (annual % growth) — 5.63% (2025)
• Domestic credit to private sector by banks (% of GDP) — 13.68% (2025)
• Net domestic credit (current LCU) — 172.45 billion (2025)
• Net foreign assets (current LCU) — 85.43 billion (2025)
• Monetary sector credit to private sector (% of GDP) — 13.72% (2025)
• Broad money (current LCU) — 223.14 billion (2025)
• Broad money (% of GDP)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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Questions people ask

What is Zambia's domestic credit provided by financial sector (% of GDP)?

37.72% in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2011?

It is up 16.63 percentage points from 21.09% in 2011. The highest value was 42.36% in 2020 and the lowest 21.09% in 2011.

How does Zambia rank?

32nd highest of 38 economies with data for 2025.

Is the latest change in domestic credit provided by financial sector (% of GDP) unusual for Zambia?

In 2025, Zambia's domestic credit provided by financial sector (% of GDP) rose 2.53 percentage points on 2024 (from 35.19% to 37.72%). Across the 13 yearly changes before that (2012 to 2024), the average change was +1.08 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 4.21 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 standard deviations above 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 FS.AST.DOMS.GD.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF); World Development Indicators Database, World Bank (WB); National Accounts data files, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) 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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