Zambia's Trade Increases by 41%

Zambia's international trade has increased more than 41% to 587 billion Kwacha as of December 2024, up from 416 billion Kwacha in December 2023. 

Sheila Mudenda, Acting Statistician General at the Zambia Statistics Agency (ZAMSTATS), addressed journalists at a press briefing in Lusaka on Friday, January 31, about the remarkable surge in the trade landscape.

Ms Mudenda also announced that inflation for non-food items has dropped to 13.2% in January 2025, down from 14.2% in December 2024; this downturn was mainly attributed to a decrease in prices of items such as furniture and furnishings, glassware and household utensils as well as pharmaceutical products. 

ZAMSTATS Deputy Director for Economic Statistics Joseph Tembo also addressed the press briefing, explaining that the Northern province recorded the lowest annual inflation, at 12.4%. 

“The Province has become more self-reliant, and the prices are more stable than they were in the past,” added the Deputy Director.

Alitina Phiri, a ZAMSTATS Statistician, told reporters that it was possible that price indexes have found their peak and that this is one explanation for the stabilisation in inflation seen across the country. 

Switzerland and Asia remain Zambia’s top export markets as the country looks set for a strong start to 2025.