The territory of Northern Rhodesia was administered by the former British South Africa Company from 1891 until it was taken over by the UK in 1923. During the 1920s and 1930s, advances in mining spurred development and immigration. The name was changed to Zambia upon independence in 1964. In the 1980s and 1990s, declining copper prices, economic mismanagement, and a prolonged drought hurt the economy. Elections in 1991 brought an end to one-party rule and propelled the Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) to government. The subsequent vote in 1996, however, saw increasing harassment of opposition parties and abuse of state media and other resources. The election in 2001 was marked by administrative problems, with three parties filing a legal petition challenging the election of ruling party candidate Levy MWANAWASA. MWANAWASA was reelected in 2006 in an election that was deemed free and fair. Upon his death in August 2008, he was succeeded by his vice president, Rupiah BANDA, who won a special presidential byelection later that year. The MMD and BANDA lost to the Patriotic Front (PF) and Michael SATA in the 2011 general elections. SATA, however, presided over a period of haphazard economic management and attempted to silence opposition to PF policies. SATA died in October 2014 and was succeeded by his vice president, Guy SCOTT, who served as interim president until special elections were held in January 2015. Edgar LUNGU won the presidential by election and will complete SATA's term, which expires in August 2016 when new presidential, as well as parliamentary and local elections, will be held.

Southern Africa, east of Angola, south of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

15 00 S, 30 00 E

Africa

slightly larger than Texas

0 km (landlocked)

none (landlocked)

tropical; modified by altitude; rainy season (October to April)

mostly high plateau with some hills and mountains

highest point: unnamed elevation in Mafinga Hills 2,301 m

copper, cobalt, zinc, lead, coal, emeralds, gold, silver, uranium, hydropower

arable land 4.8%; permanent crops 0%; permanent pasture 26.9%

1,560 sq km (2012)

periodic drought; tropical storms (November to April)

air pollution and resulting acid rain in the mineral extraction and refining region; chemical runoff into watersheds; poaching seriously threatens rhinoceros, elephant, antelope, and large cat populations; deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; lack of adequate water treatment presents human health risks

landlocked; the Zambezi forms a natural riverine boundary with Zimbabwe; Lake Kariba on the Zambia-Zimbabwe border forms the world's largest reservoir by volume (180 cu km; 43 cu mi)

15,510,711

Bemba 21%, Tonga 13.6%, Chewa 7.4%, Lozi 5.7%, Nsenga 5.3%, Tumbuka 4.4%, Ngoni 4%, Lala 3.1%, Kaonde 2.9%, Namwanga 2.8%, Lunda (north Western) 2.6%, Mambwe 2.5%, Luvale 2.2%, Lamba 2.1%, Ushi 1.9%, Lenje 1.6%, Bisa 1.6%, Mbunda 1.2%, other 13.8%, unspecified 0.4% (2010 est.)

Bembe 33.4%, Nyanja 14.7%, Tonga 11.4%, Lozi 5.5%, Chewa 4.5%, Nsenga 2.9%, Tumbuka 2.5%, Lunda (North Western) 1.9%, Kaonde 1.8%, Lala 1.8%, Lamba 1.8%, English (official) 1.7%, Luvale 1.5%, Mambwe 1.3%, Namwanga 1.2%, Lenje 1.1%, Bisa 1%, other 9.7%, unspecified 0.2%

Protestant 75.3%, Roman Catholic 20.2%, other 2.7% (includes Muslim Buddhist, Hindu, and Baha'i), none 1.8% (2010 est.)

Zambia’s poor, youthful population consists primarily of Bantu-speaking people representing nearly 70 different ethnicities. Zambia’s high fertility rate continues to drive rapid population growth, averaging almost 3 percent annually between 2000 and 2010. The country’s total fertility rate has fallen by less than 1.5 children per woman during the last 30 years and still averages among the world’s highest, almost 6 children per woman, largely because of the country’s lack of access to family planning services, education for girls, and employment for women. Zambia also exhibits wide fertility disparities based on rural or urban location, education, and income. Poor, uneducated women from rural areas are more likely to marry young, to give birth early, and to have more children, viewing children as a sign of prestige and recognizing that not all of their children will live to adulthood. HIV/AIDS is prevalent in Zambia and contributes to its low life expectancy.

Zambian emigration is low compared to many other African countries and is comprised predominantly of the well-educated. The small amount of brain drain, however, has a major impact in Zambia because of its limited human capital and lack of educational infrastructure for developing skilled professionals in key fields. For example, Zambia has few schools for training doctors, nurses, and other health care workers. Its spending on education is low compared to other sub-Saharan countries.

2.94% (2016 est.)

41.8 births/1,000 population (2016 est.)

12.4 deaths/1,000 population (2016 est.)

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2016 est.)

LUSAKA (capital) 2.179 million (2015)

19.2

224 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.)

5.67 children born/woman (2016 est.)

40.8% (2007)

5% of GDP (2014)

0.17 physicians/1,000 population (2012)

2 beds/1,000 population (2010)

urban: 85.6% of population

rural: 51.3% of population

total: 65.4% of population

urban: 14.4% of population

rural: 48.7% of population

total: 34.6% of population (2015 est.)

urban: 55.6% of population

rural: 35.7% of population

total: 43.9% of population

urban: 44.4% of population

rural: 64.3% of population

total: 56.1% of population (2015 est.)

12.91% (2015 est.)

1,211,900 (2015 est.)

19,800 (2015 est.)

7.2% (2014)

14.8% (2014)

1.1% of GDP (2008)

presidential republic

10 provinces; Central, Copperbelt, Eastern, Luapula, Lusaka, Muchinga, Northern, North-Western, Southern, Western

24 October 1964 (from the UK)

Independence Day, 24 October (1964)

several previous; latest adopted 24 August 1991, promulgated 30 August 1991; amended 1996, 2015 (2016)

mixed legal system of English common law and customary law

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal

Alliance for Democracy and Development or ADD [Charles MILUPI]

Forum for Democracy and Development or FDD [Edith NAWAKWI]

Movement for Multiparty Democracy or MMD [Nevers MUMBA]

Patriotic Front or PF [Edgar LUNGU]

United Party for National Development or UPND [Hakainde HICHILEMA]

ACP, AfDB, AU, C, COMESA, EITI (compliant country), FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MONUSCO, NAM, OPCW, PCA, SADC, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNISFA, UNMIL, UNMISS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

green field with a panel of three vertical bands of red (hoist side), black, and orange below a soaring orange eagle, on the outer edge of the flag; green stands for the country's natural resources and vegetation, red symbolizes the struggle for freedom, black the people of Zambia, and orange the country's mineral wealth; the eagle represents the people's ability to rise above the nation's problems

African fish eagle; national colors: green, red, black, orange

Zambia has had one of the world’s fastest growing economies for the past ten years, with real GDP growth averaging roughly 6.7% per annum, though growth slowed in 2015 to just over 3%, due to falling copper prices, reduced power generation, and depreciation of the kwacha. Zambia’s lack of economic diversification and dependency on copper as its sole major export makes it vulnerable to fluctuations in the world commodities market and prices turned downward in 2015 due to declining demand from China; Zambia was overtaken by the Democratic Republic of Congo as Africa’s largest copper producer.

Despite recent strong economic growth and its status as a lower middle-income country, widespread and extreme rural poverty and high unemployment levels remain significant problems, made worse by a high birth rate, a relatively high HIV/AIDS burden, and by market-distorting agricultural and energy policies. Economic policy inconsistency and poor budget execution in recent years has hindered the economy and contributed to weakness in the kwacha, which was Africa’s worst performing currency during 2015. Zambia has raised $7 billion from international investors by issuing separate sovereign bonds in September 2012, April 2014, and July 2015, significantly increasing the country’s public debt as a share of GDP.

Poor management of water resources has also contributed to a power generation shortage, which has hampered industrial productivity and contributed to an increase in year-on-year inflation to 23% by March 2016. Zambia’s currency, the kwacha, also depreciated sharply against the dollar through 2015, before the central bank restricted lending.

$62.71 billion (2015 est.)

$60.51 billion (2014 est.)

$57.61 billion (2013 est.)

$21.89 billion (2015 est.)

3.6% (2015 est.)

5% (2014 est.)

5.1% (2013 est.)

$3,900 (2015 est.)

$3,800 (2014 est.)

$3,800 (2013 est.)

20.4% of GDP (2015 est.)

26.3% of GDP (2014 est.)

26.3% of GDP (2013 est.)

corn, sorghum, rice, peanuts, sunflower seeds, vegetables, flowers, tobacco, cotton, sugarcane, cassava (manioc, tapioca), coffee; cattle, goats, pigs, poultry, milk, eggs, hides

copper mining and processing, emerald mining, construction, foodstuffs, beverages, chemicals, textiles, fertilizer, horticulture

-2.8% (2015 est.)

6.895 million (2015 est.)

15% (2008 est.)

50% (2000 est.)

60.5% (2010 est.)

57.5 (2013)

50.8 (2004)

16.7% of GDP (2015 est.)

-7.9% of GDP (2015 est.)

58.6% of GDP (2015 est.)

37.4% of GDP (2014 est.)

calendar year

10.1% (2015 est.)

7.8% (2014 est.)

9.1% (31 December 2012)

19% (31 December 2011)

13.25% (31 December 2015 est.)

11.57% (31 December 2014 est.)

$1.288 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$2.118 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$5.682 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$5.437 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

$3.682 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$5.006 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$3.004 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$4.009 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

$2.817 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

-$768 million (2015 est.)

$581 million (2014 est.)

$6.998 billion (2015 est.)

$10.22 billion (2014 est.)

copper/cobalt, cobalt, electricity; tobacco, flowers, cotton

China 25.5%, Democratic Republic of the Congo 13%, South Africa 6.4%, South Korea 4.9%, India 4.3% (2015)

$7.711 billion (2015 est.)

$8.595 billion (2014 est.)

machinery, transportation equipment, petroleum products, electricity, fertilizer, foodstuffs, clothing

South Africa 34.5%, Democratic Republic of the Congo 18.2%, Kenya 9.7%, China 7.3%, India 4.4% (2015)

$2.968 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$3.078 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$8.88 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$7.367 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$NA

$NA

Zambian kwacha (ZMK) per US dollar -

8.6 (2015 est.)

6.2 (2014 est.)

6.2 (2013 est.)

5.1 (2012 est.)

4,860.7 (2011 est.)

14 billion kWh (2014 est.)

11 billion kWh (2014 est.)

1.3 billion kWh (2014 est.)

13 million kWh (2014 est.)

2.3 million kW (2014 est.)

0.4% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

99.6% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

0 bbl/day (2013 est.)

12,120 bbl/day (2013 est.)

0 bbl (1 January 2016 es)

12,760 bbl/day (2013 est.)

19,000 bbl/day (2014 est.)

966.2 bbl/day (2013 est.)

8,490 bbl/day (2013 est.)

0 cu m (2013 est.)

0 cu m (2014 est.)

0 cu m (2013 est.)

0 cu m (2013 est.)

0 cu m (1 January 2014 es)

3.5 million Mt (2013 est.)

state-owned Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) operates 3 TV stations, is the principal local-content provider, and owns about 45% of multi-channel Zambia shares; several private TV stations and multi-channel subscription TV services are available; ZNBC operates 4 radio networks; 64 private radio stations are available (most regionally) and relays of at least 2 international broadcasters — including BBC and Radio France International – are accessible in Lusaka and Kitwe (2015)

.zm

9J (2016)

88 (2013)

oil 771 km (2013)

2,250 km (includes Lake Tanganyika and the Zambezi and Luapula rivers) (2010)

Zambian Defense Force (ZDF): Zambia Army, Zambia Air Force, Zambia National Service (support organization) (2015)

national registration required at age 16; 18-25 years of age for male and female voluntary military service (16 years of age with parental consent); no conscription; Zambian citizenship required; grade 12 certification required; mandatory HIV testing on enlistment; mandatory retirement for officers at age 65 (Army, Air Force) (2012)

1.55% of GDP (2012)

1.59% of GDP (2011)

1.55% of GDP (2010)

in 2004, Zimbabwe dropped objections to plans between Botswana and Zambia to build a bridge over the Zambezi River, thereby de facto recognizing a short, but not clearly delimited, Botswana-Zambia boundary in the river

transshipment point for moderate amounts of methaqualone, small amounts of heroin, and cocaine bound for southern Africa and possibly Europe; a poorly developed financial infrastructure coupled with a government commitment to combating money laundering make it an unattractive venue for money launderers; major consumer of cannabis