Zambia: PPG, official creditors (NFL, current US$)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Zambia's PPG, official creditors (NFL, current US$) rose US$441.4 million on 2023 (from US$135.46 million to US$576.86 million).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was −US$141,018 and a typical year strayed about US$322.75 million from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.4 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was US$604.09 million in 2011 and the biggest yearly fall was US$944.16 million 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 2015 to 2024 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 1% 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 2024, Zambia had the 27th highest value of the 118 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 2024 ranking

• Senegal — 24th of 118: US$710.7 million
• Kazakhstan — 25th of 118: US$632.03 million
• Maldives — 26th of 118: US$609.24 million
• Paraguay — 28th of 118: US$575.04 million
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 29th of 118: US$556.48 million
• North Macedonia — 30th of 118: US$551.31 million

What this measures

Public and publicly guaranteed debt from official creditors includes loans from international organizations (multilateral loans) and loans from governments (bilateral loans). Loans from international organization include loans and credits from the World Bank, regional development banks, and other multilateral and intergovernmental agencies. Excluded are loans from funds administered by an international organization on behalf of a single donor government; these are classified as loans from governments. Government loans include loans from governments and their agencies (including central banks), loans from autonomous bodies, and direct loans from official export credit agencies. Net flows (or net lending or net disbursements) received by the borrower during the year are disbursements minus principal repayments. Data are in current U.S. dollars.

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

All 55 values

PPG, official creditors (NFL, current US$) in nearby economies

• Angola — US$290.38 million (2024)
• Benin — US$1.09 billion (2024)
• Botswana — US$301.99 million (2024)
• Burkina Faso — US$440.06 million (2024)
• Burundi — US$12.99 million (2024)
• Cabo Verde — US$17.07 million (2024)
• Cameroon — US$368.35 million (2024)
• Central African Republic — −US$9.27 million (2024)
• Chad — US$453.23 million (2024)
• Comoros — US$10.12 million (2024)

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)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Zambia's PPG, official creditors (NFL, current US$)?

US$576.86 million in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1970?

It is up 3,499% from US$16.03 million in 1970 (6.86% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was US$1.24 billion in 2020 and the lowest −US$14.36 million in 1998.

How does Zambia rank?

27th highest of 118 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in PPG, official creditors (NFL, current US$) unusual for Zambia?

In 2024, Zambia's PPG, official creditors (NFL, current US$) rose US$441.4 million on 2023 (from US$135.46 million to US$576.86 million). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was −US$141,018 and a typical year strayed about US$322.75 million from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.4 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator DT.NFL.OFFT.CD, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB) 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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