Bank capital to assets ratio (%) (Financial Soundness) in Zambia
Zambia: Bank capital to assets ratio (%) (Financial Soundness) was 12.6% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Bank capital to assets ratio in Zambia, 2007–2025
Source: Financial Soundness Indicators, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in %.
Analysis
Zambia recorded 12.6% for bank capital to assets ratio in 2025.
That represents a change of up 10.4% on the previous year and up 12.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, bank capital to assets ratio in Zambia peaked at 17.5% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 3.5%, in 2009.
Zambia ranks 22nd of 147 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 19 years of available data.
Bank capital to assets ratio (%) (Financial Soundness) in Zambia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 15.2% | — |
| 2008 | 17.5% | +14.8% |
| 2009 | 3.5% | -80.0% |
| 2010 | 9.0% | +156.9% |
| 2011 | 8.9% | -0.8% |
| 2012 | 11.0% | +23.1% |
| 2013 | 13.5% | +22.8% |
| 2014 | 13.7% | +2.0% |
| 2015 | 11.2% | -18.8% |
| 2016 | 12.1% | +8.3% |
| 2017 | 11.7% | -3.6% |
| 2018 | 11.2% | -4.3% |
| 2019 | 11.1% | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 8.5% | -23.5% |
| 2021 | 10.3% | +21.0% |
| 2022 | 10.1% | -1.2% |
| 2023 | 10.9% | +7.5% |
| 2024 | 11.4% | +4.8% |
| 2025 | 12.6% | +10.4% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 12.6% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 9.2%, 1.4× the median. (31 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 12.6% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 9.1%, 1.4× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Bank capital to assets ratio (%) (Financial Soundness) in Zambia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | +156.9% | 3.5% | 9.0% |
| 2009 | -80.0% | 17.5% | 3.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 12.1% | 3.5% | 17.5% | 3 |
| 2010s | 11.3% | 8.9% | 13.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.6% | 8.5% | 12.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 19 Mozambique 12.9% compare
- 20 Antigua and Barbuda 12.8% compare
- 21 Belarus 12.7% compare
- 23 Tanzania 12.5% compare
- 24 Rwanda 12.4% compare
- 25 Papua New Guinea 12.3% compare
More financial sector data for Zambia
- Reserve position in the IMF, US dollar, annual growth rate 5.01 % change on previous year (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, US dollar, per capita 0.0011 units per person (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, SDR, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, SDR, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, SDR, per capita 0.0008 units per person (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, US dollar, annual growth rate 5.01 % change on previous year (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, US dollar, per capita 0.0011 units per person (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, SDR, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is bank capital to assets ratio in Zambia?
- Bank capital to assets ratio in Zambia was 12.6% in 2025, according to Financial Soundness Indicators, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest bank capital to assets ratio recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 17.5% in 2008.
- What is the lowest bank capital to assets ratio recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.5% in 2009.
- How does Zambia rank for bank capital to assets ratio?
- Zambia ranks 22nd out of 147 countries with data for 2025.
- Is bank capital to assets ratio rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from Financial Soundness Indicators, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Bank capital to assets ratio (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 19 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
The indicator is a measure of capital adequacy that evaluates the financial strength of deposit takers by comparing Tier 1 capital to total assets. Tier 1 capital, often referred to as core capital, includes the most stable and readily available forms of capital, such as common equity, disclosed reserves, retained earnings, and certain other instruments that meet regulatory requirements under the Basel framework. This capital is considered the highest quality because it is fully available to cover losses and does not need to be repaid.