01Key Takeaways
- Zambia imported $10.13 billion worth of goods in 2023, up 12.5% from $9.00 billion in 2022, a third consecutive year of growth and the most recent year with verified trade data available in this dataset.
- Mineral fuels led every import category at 19.3% ($1.96 billion), the largest single category on this list.
- South Africa was Zambia's largest import partner, supplying 25.8% of imports, worth $2.61 billion.
- The top three import partners together accounted for 50.2% of total import value.
025-Year Trend
| Year | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | $7.2B | $5.3B | $7.0B | $9.0B | $10.1B |
03Top Import Markets (2023)
| Rank | Partner | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Africa | $2.6B | 25.8% |
| 2 | China | $1.6B | 16.2% |
| 3 | United Arab Emirates | $830.3M | 8.2% |
| 4 | India | $567.9M | 5.6% |
| 5 | Japan | $539.8M | 5.3% |
| 6 | Singapore | $370.6M | 3.7% |
| 7 | Saudi Arabia | $318.1M | 3.1% |
| 8 | Tanzania | $286.7M | 2.8% |
| 9 | Bahrain | $267.7M | 2.6% |
| 10 | United States | $253.5M | 2.5% |
04Top Import Categories (2023)
| Rank | Category | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mineral Fuels, Mineral Oils and Products of their Distillation; Bituminous Substances; Mineral Waxes | $2.0B | 19.3% |
| 2 | Vehicles other than Railway or Tramway Rolling-Stock, and parts and accessories thereof | $1.5B | 14.6% |
| 3 | Nuclear Reactors, Boilers, Machinery and Mechanical Appliances; Parts thereof | $1.2B | 12.2% |
| 4 | Fertilisers | $693.4M | 6.8% |
| 5 | Plastics and Articles thereof | $444.3M | 4.4% |
| 6 | Salt; Sulphur; Earths and Stone; Plastering Materials, Lime and Cement | $397.2M | 3.9% |
| 7 | Electrical Machinery and Equipment and parts thereof; Sound Recorders and Reproducers, Television Image and Sound Recorders and Reproducers, and Parts and Accessories of such Articles | $360.1M | 3.6% |
| 8 | Miscellaneous Chemical Products | $287.6M | 2.8% |
| 9 | Iron and Steel | $277.7M | 2.7% |
| 10 | Pharmaceutical Products | $268.3M | 2.6% |
05Trade Partner Map
06Analysis
Import Value Climbed for a Third Straight Year in 2023
Zambia imported $10.13 billion worth of goods in 2023, up 12.5% from $9.00 billion in 2022. This is the most recent year with verified trade data available in this dataset. The dataset covers a full five years, from 2019 through 2023, tracking the import side of trade for this landlocked, copper-mining economy.
Import value stood at $7.17 billion in 2019. It fell to $5.29 billion in 2020, the low point of this five-year window, before climbing for three consecutive years. Import value reached $6.98 billion in 2021 and $9.00 billion in 2022, before rising further to $10.13 billion in 2023, the high point of this five-year window.
This dataset does not explain the 2020 dip or the three-year climb that followed. A gain of 12.5% extends an uninterrupted rebound that began in 2021. That rebound moves in the opposite direction from the export side of trade for this same country, where value eased back modestly in 2023. Import value in 2023 stands well above every earlier year in this window. Import and export value moved in opposite directions in 2023, a shape also seen briefly back in 2020.
Fuel and Vehicles Anchor an Import List Tied to a Landlocked Mining Economy
Mineral fuels led every import category in 2023, worth $1.96 billion, or 19.3% of the total, the largest single category on this list. Landlocked countries like Zambia depend on the North-South Corridor as their main overland route for imports and exports. Every container Zambia moves has to travel through a neighboring country before reaching a port. That dependence is reflected in South Africa ranking as Zambia's top import partner, with fuel imports supporting both mining operations and this long-distance transport network. Vehicles ranked second at 14.6%, worth $1.48 billion, and machinery followed at 12.2%, worth $1.24 billion. These are the same broad categories that support both mining operations and everyday transport across this economy. These first three categories together account for well over four in ten dollars of total import value.
Fertilizers contributed 6.8%, worth $693.43 million, and plastics added 4.4%, worth $444.26 million. These first five categories together account for well over half of total import value, leaving a far smaller share for the remaining industrial and chemical categories on this list.
Salt, sulphur, earths and stone contributed 3.9%, worth $397.19 million, and electrical machinery added 3.6%, worth $360.05 million. Chemical products not elsewhere classified contributed 2.8% ($287.59 million), and iron and steel added 2.7%, worth $277.72 million. Pharmaceutical products closed out the top ten at 2.6% ($268.29 million), the smallest share among all ten categories on this list. These ten categories span energy, transport, agriculture and industry, reflecting an economy importing both inputs for mining and everyday consumer needs.
South Africa and China Lead a Moderately Concentrated Partner List
South Africa was Zambia's largest import partner in 2023, taking 25.8% of imports, worth $2.61 billion. China ranked second at 16.2%, worth $1.64 billion. United Arab Emirates followed at 8.2%, worth $830.35 million. Together, these top three partners accounted for 50.2% of total import value, a markedly lower concentration than seen on the export side of trade for this country. That gap reflects a partner base spread across more named countries here than on the export side.
India contributed 5.6% ($567.89 million), and Japan added 5.3% ($539.77 million). Singapore followed at 3.7%, worth $370.55 million.
Saudi Arabia contributed 3.1%, worth $318.05 million. Tanzania added 2.8% ($286.69 million), essentially tied with chemical products not elsewhere classified at 2.8% ($287.59 million) described above. Bahrain contributed 2.6% ($267.73 million), essentially tied with pharmaceutical products at 2.6% ($268.29 million). United States closed out the top ten at 2.5%, worth $253.46 million, the smallest share among the ten partners listed here. Ranks four through ten here are packed within roughly three percentage points of each other, a far tighter cluster than the gap separating the top partner from the rest.
Taken together, this dataset's most recent confirmed year describes an import profile anchored in fuel and vehicles, extending a three-year climb that moved in the opposite direction from the export side of trade for this same country. That profile is sourced from a partner base led by South Africa and China, a far more moderate concentration than the heavily trading-hub-dependent base seen on the export side of trade for this country.