Zambia's primary income payments (BoP, current US$) was US$3.13 billion in 2025, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is up 776.53% from US$357.34 million in 2015 (24.24% a year on average, compounded).
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | US$3.13 billion | 2025 |
| Five years earlier | US$811.46 million | 2020 |
| Ten years earlier | US$357.34 million | 2015 |
| Highest | US$3.13 billion | 2025 |
| Lowest | US$130 million | 1981 |
| Average since 2016 | US$1.47 billion | 2016–2025 |
| First recorded | US$162.1 million |
What the numbers say
In 2025, Zambia's primary income payments (BoP, current US$) rose 10% on 2024 (from US$2.85 billion to US$3.13 billion).
Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1989 to 2024), the average change was +30.8% and a typical year strayed about 77% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 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 237.2% in 2013 and the biggest yearly fall was 76.5% in 2015. 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$266.78 million a year. A straight line explains 74% 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 87th highest value of the 136 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.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Zambia | US$3.13 billion | 2025 |
| World | US$7.99 trillion | 2024 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | US$86.89 billion | 2024 |
| Lower middle income | US$208.52 billion | 2024 |
Closest to Zambia in the 2025 ranking
- Latvia — 84th of 136: US$3.71 billion
- Honduras — 85th of 136: US$3.6 billion
- Iraq — 86th of 136: US$3.52 billion
- El Salvador — 88th of 136: US$3.01 billion
- Sri Lanka — 89th of 136: US$2.62 billion
- Mozambique — 90th of 136: US$2.55 billion
What this measures
Primary income payments refer to employee compensation paid to nonresident workers and investment income (payments on direct investment, portfolio investment, other investments).This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This indicator is expressed in United States dollars.
Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a sum.
All 43 values
| Year | Primary income payments (BoP, current US$) |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 3,132,174,135 |
| 2024 | 2,846,221,907 |
| 2023 | 1,728,259,291 |
| 2022 | 1,640,339,172 |
| 2021 | 1,721,293,395 |
| 2020 | 811,457,703 |
| 2019 | 449,064,643 |
| 2018 | 435,377,471 |
| 2017 | 1,217,854,128 |
| 2016 | 724,117,782 |
Primary income payments (BoP, current US$) in nearby economies
- Angola — US$6.72 billion (2025)
- Benin — US$533.3 million (2023)
- Botswana — US$549.97 million (2025)
- Burkina Faso — US$1.45 billion (2024)
- Burundi — US$54.54 million (2025)
- Cabo Verde — US$101.33 million (2025)
- Cameroon — US$1.34 billion (2024)
- Comoros — US$7.72 million (2023)
- Congo, Dem. Rep. — US$3.76 billion (2025)
- Congo, Rep. — US$1.71 billion (2021)
More economic policy & debt data for Zambia
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$) — 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$10.2 billion (2025)
- Industry, including construction, value added (current LCU) — 256.39 billion (2025)
- Industry, including construction, value added (% of GDP)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Zambia's primary income payments (BoP, current US$)?
- US$3.13 billion in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1978?
- It is up 1,832% from US$162.1 million in 1978 (6.5% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was US$3.13 billion in 2025 and the lowest US$130 million in 1981.
- How does Zambia rank?
- 87th highest of 136 economies with data for 2025.
- Is the latest change in primary income payments (BoP, current US$) unusual for Zambia?
- In 2025, Zambia's primary income payments (BoP, current US$) rose 10% on 2024 (from US$2.85 billion to US$3.13 billion). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1989 to 2024), the average change was +30.8% and a typical year strayed about 77% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 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.FCTY.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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