Domestic credit to private sector by banks in Zambia
Zambia: Domestic credit to private sector by banks was 13.7% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Domestic credit to private sector by banks in Zambia, 1965–2025
Source: International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2025, domestic credit to private sector by banks in Zambia stood at 13.7%.
The figure is up 5.5% on the previous year and down 12.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, domestic credit to private sector by banks in Zambia peaked at 21.2% in 1975 and was at its lowest, 4.6%, in 1993.
That places Zambia 157th out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 61 years of available data.
Domestic credit to private sector by banks in Zambia, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 5.6% | — |
| 1966 | 7.6% | +36.7% |
| 1967 | 9.7% | +27.8% |
| 1968 | 8.2% | -15.7% |
| 1969 | 8.2% | -0.4% |
| 1970 | 11.0% | +35.2% |
| 1971 | 12.7% | +15.4% |
| 1972 | 11.7% | -7.7% |
| 1973 | 10.5% | -10.3% |
| 1974 | 17.4% | +65.1% |
| 1975 | 21.2% | +21.9% |
| 1976 | 16.9% | -20.1% |
| 1977 | 17.0% | +0.4% |
| 1978 | 13.1% | -22.9% |
| 1979 | 13.9% | +6.2% |
| 1980 | 14.1% | +1.6% |
| 1981 | 17.9% | +26.4% |
| 1982 | 19.7% | +10.3% |
| 1983 | 19.2% | -2.7% |
| 1984 | 11.3% | -41.2% |
| 1985 | 8.7% | -23.2% |
| 1986 | 8.5% | -2.3% |
| 1987 | 7.6% | -9.7% |
| 1988 | 9.2% | +20.3% |
| 1989 | 11.2% | +21.5% |
| 1990 | 8.0% | -28.1% |
| 1991 | 7.1% | -11.9% |
| 1992 | 5.1% | -27.7% |
| 1993 | 4.6% | -9.3% |
| 1994 | 5.6% | +19.6% |
| 1995 | 7.3% | +31.3% |
| 1996 | 8.1% | +10.5% |
| 1997 | 6.8% | -15.3% |
| 1998 | 6.0% | -12.6% |
| 1999 | 6.4% | +7.7% |
| 2000 | 7.4% | +14.8% |
| 2001 | 6.4% | -13.7% |
| 2002 | 5.3% | -16.7% |
| 2003 | 5.9% | +10.4% |
| 2004 | 6.9% | +18.5% |
| 2005 | 6.5% | -5.8% |
| 2006 | 8.1% | +23.8% |
| 2007 | 9.6% | +19.1% |
| 2008 | 12.2% | +26.5% |
| 2009 | 10.0% | -18.2% |
| 2010 | 9.1% | -8.1% |
| 2011 | 10.0% | +9.4% |
| 2012 | 11.9% | +19.2% |
| 2013 | 11.6% | -2.4% |
| 2014 | 13.3% | +14.5% |
| 2015 | 15.7% | +17.6% |
| 2016 | 12.1% | -23.1% |
| 2017 | 11.1% | -7.6% |
| 2018 | 11.6% | +4.4% |
| 2019 | 12.5% | +7.4% |
| 2020 | 12.2% | -2.0% |
| 2021 | 8.5% | -30.6% |
| 2022 | 10.2% | +20.2% |
| 2023 | 12.8% | +25.2% |
| 2024 | 13.0% | +1.4% |
| 2025 | 13.7% | +5.5% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 13.7% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 23.4%, 58% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 13.7% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 15.6%, 88% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 7.8% | 5.6% | 9.7% | 5 |
| 1970s | 14.6% | 10.5% | 21.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 12.7% | 7.6% | 19.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.5% | 4.6% | 8.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 7.8% | 5.3% | 12.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.9% | 9.1% | 15.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.7% | 8.5% | 13.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
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 domestic credit to private sector by banks in Zambia?
- Domestic credit to private sector by banks in Zambia was 13.7% in 2025, according to International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest domestic credit to private sector by banks recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 21.2% in 1975.
- What is the lowest domestic credit to private sector by banks recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.6% in 1993.
- How does Zambia rank for domestic credit to private sector by banks?
- Zambia ranks 157th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is domestic credit to private sector by banks rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Domestic credit to private sector by banks (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Domestic credit to private sector by banks refers to financial resources provided to the private sector by other depository corporations (deposit taking corporations except central banks), such as through loans, purchases of nonequity securities, and trade credits and other accounts receivable, that establish a claim for repayment. For some countries these claims include credit to public enterprises. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.