Zambia: International tourism, receipts for travel items (current US$)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2020, Zambia's international tourism, receipts for travel items (current US$) fell 49.7% on 2019 (from US$819 million to US$412 million).

Across the 22 yearly changes before that (1998 to 2019), the average change was +26.9% and a typical year strayed about 81.6% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.9 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 385.9% in 2005 and the biggest yearly fall was 49.7% in 2020. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2011 to 2020 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 8% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

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

How it compares

In 2020, Zambia had the 90th highest value of the 158 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 2020 ranking

• Latvia — 87th of 158: US$430 million
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 88th of 158: US$426 million
• Malta — 89th of 158: US$418 million
• Chile — 91st of 158: US$406 million
• Kuwait — 92nd of 158: US$397 million
• Antigua and Barbuda — 93rd of 158: US$386 million

What this measures

International tourism receipts for travel items are expenditures by international inbound visitors in the reporting economy. The goods and services are purchased by, or on behalf of, the traveler or provided, without a quid pro quo, for the traveler to use or give away. These receipts should include any other prepayment made for goods or services received in the destination country. They also may include receipts from same-day visitors, except in cases where these are so important as to justify a separate classification. Excluded is the international carriage of travelers, which is covered in passenger travel items. Data are in current U.S. dollars.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a gap-filled total.

All 24 values

International tourism, receipts for travel items (current US$) in nearby economies

• Angola — US$16 million (2020)
• Benin — US$240 million (2019)
• Botswana — US$211 million (2020)
• Burkina Faso — US$116 million (2019)
• Burundi — US$3.9 million (2018)
• Cabo Verde — US$159 million (2020)
• Cameroon — US$437 million (2020)
• Comoros — US$18 million (2020)
• Congo, Dem. Rep.

More private sector & trade data for Zambia

• Merchandise trade (% of GDP) — 91.71% (2025)
• Merchandise imports (current US$) — US$13.17 billion (2025)
• Merchandise exports (current US$) — US$13.31 billion (2025)
• Merchandise imports from economies in the Arab World (% of total merchandise imports) — 16.21% (2023)
• Merchandise imports from high-income economies (% of total merchandise imports) — 37.56% (2023)
• Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside region (% of total merchandise imports) — 24.96% (2023)
• Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in East Asia & Pacific (% of total merchandise imports) — 18.06% (2023)
• Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in Middle East & North Africa (% of total merchandise imports)

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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• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Zambia's international tourism, receipts for travel items (current US$)?

US$412 million in 2020, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1997?

It is up 1,321% from US$29 million in 1997 (12.23% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was US$819 million in 2019 and the lowest US$29 million in 1997.

How does Zambia rank?

90th highest of 158 economies with data for 2020.

Is the latest change in international tourism, receipts for travel items (current US$) unusual for Zambia?

In 2020, Zambia's international tourism, receipts for travel items (current US$) fell 49.7% on 2019 (from US$819 million to US$412 million). Across the 22 yearly changes before that (1998 to 2019), the average change was +26.9% and a typical year strayed about 81.6% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.9 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 ST.INT.TVLR.CD, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism 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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