Risk premium on lending in Zambia

Zambia: Risk premium on lending was -11.3% in 2020. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2020)
-11.3%
Change on year
down 4.5%
World rank
86th
of 86 countries
All-time high
18.1%
in 2004
All-time low
-11.3%
in 2020
Years of data
43
1978–2020

Risk premium on lending in Zambia, 1978–2020

-10010201978199920201978: 3.9 lending rate minus treasury bill rate, %1979: 4.6 lending rate minus treasury bill rate, %1980: 5 lending rate minus treasury bill rate, %1981: 3.8 lending rate minus treasury bill rate, %1982: 3.5 lending rate minus treasury bill rate, %1983: 5.5 lending rate minus treasury bill rate, %1984: 6.9 lending rate minus treasury bill rate, %1985: 5.4 lending rate minus treasury bill rate, %1986: 3.1 lending rate minus treasury bill rate, %1987: 4.7 lending rate minus treasury bill rate, %1988: 3.2 lending rate minus treasury bill rate, %1989: -0.11 lending rate minus treasury bill rate, %1990: 9.2 lending rate minus treasury bill rate, %1991: 6 lending rate minus treasury bill rate, %1992: 7.6 lending rate minus treasury bill rate, %1993: -10.7 lending rate minus treasury bill rate, %1994: -3.7 lending rate minus treasury bill rate, %1995: 5.7 lending rate minus treasury bill rate, %1996: 1 lending rate minus treasury bill rate, %1997: 17.2 lending rate minus treasury bill rate, %1998: 6.9 lending rate minus treasury bill rate, %1999: 4.3 lending rate minus treasury bill rate, %2000: 7.4 lending rate minus treasury bill rate, %2001: 2 lending rate minus treasury bill rate, %2002: 10.7 lending rate minus treasury bill rate, %2003: 10.6 lending rate minus treasury bill rate, %2004: 18.1 lending rate minus treasury bill rate, %2005: 11.9 lending rate minus treasury bill rate, %2006: 12.8 lending rate minus treasury bill rate, %2007: 6.9 lending rate minus treasury bill rate, %2008: 5.6 lending rate minus treasury bill rate, %2009: 6.7 lending rate minus treasury bill rate, %2010: 14.6 lending rate minus treasury bill rate, %2011: 9.3 lending rate minus treasury bill rate, %2012: 2 lending rate minus treasury bill rate, %2013: -1.9 lending rate minus treasury bill rate, %2014: -3.8 lending rate minus treasury bill rate, %2015: -5.8 lending rate minus treasury bill rate, %2016: -8.8 lending rate minus treasury bill rate, %2017: -2.1 lending rate minus treasury bill rate, %2018: -5.1 lending rate minus treasury bill rate, %2019: -10.8 lending rate minus treasury bill rate, %2020: -11.3 lending rate minus treasury bill rate, %

Source: International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in lending rate minus treasury bill rate, %.

Analysis

Zambia recorded -11.3% for risk premium on lending in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 43 years on record.

The figure is down 4.5% on the previous year and down 177.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, risk premium on lending in Zambia peaked at 18.1% in 2004 and was at its lowest, -11.3%, in 2020.

That places Zambia 86th out of 86 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Risk premium on lending in Zambia, year by year

Annual values for Risk premium on lending (lending rate minus treasury bill rate, %) in Zambia, 1978 to 2020.
Year lending rate minus treasury bill rate, % Change
1978 3.9%
1979 4.6% +20.0%
1980 5.0% +7.7%
1981 3.8% -25.0%
1982 3.5% -6.7%
1983 5.5% +57.1%
1984 6.9% +25.0%
1985 5.4% -21.5%
1986 3.1% -41.7%
1987 4.7% +49.3%
1988 3.2% -31.4%
1989 -0.1% -103.4%
1990 9.2% -8452.3%
1991 6.0% -34.7%
1992 7.6% +26.1%
1993 -10.7% -241.6%
1994 -3.7% -65.9%
1995 5.7% -256.7%
1996 1.0% -82.4%
1997 17.2% +1606.6%
1998 6.9% -60.1%
1999 4.3% -37.0%
2000 7.4% +72.0%
2001 2.0% -73.7%
2002 10.7% +445.6%
2003 10.6% -0.6%
2004 18.1% +71.0%
2005 11.9% -34.4%
2006 12.8% +7.5%
2007 6.9% -45.7%
2008 5.6% -19.3%
2009 6.7% +19.1%
2010 14.6% +119.5%
2011 9.3% -36.6%
2012 2.0% -78.2%
2013 -1.9% -195.1%
2014 -3.8% +96.5%
2015 -5.8% +52.4%
2016 -8.8% +52.3%
2017 -2.1% -76.0%
2018 -5.1% +140.3%
2019 -10.8% +113.7%
2020 -11.3% +4.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 4.3% 3.9% 4.6% 2
1980s 4.1% -0.1% 6.9% 10
1990s 4.4% -10.7% 17.2% 10
2000s 9.3% 2.0% 18.1% 10
2010s -1.2% -10.8% 14.6% 10
2020s -11.3% -11.3% -11.3% 1

Countries ranked near Zambia

  1. 83 Egypt -3.4% compare
  2. 84 South Sudan -6.1% compare
  3. 85 Serbia -6.2% compare

See the full ranking of 86 places →

More financial sector data for Zambia

All data for Zambia →

Frequently asked questions

What is risk premium on lending in Zambia?
Risk premium on lending in Zambia was -11.3% in 2020, according to International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
What is the highest risk premium on lending recorded in Zambia?
The highest recorded value was 18.1% in 2004.
What is the lowest risk premium on lending recorded in Zambia?
The lowest recorded value was -11.3% in 2020.
How does Zambia rank for risk premium on lending?
Zambia ranks 86th out of 86 countries with data for 2020.
Is risk premium on lending rising or falling in Zambia?
Over the last ten years it is down 177.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Zambia data come from?
The figures come from International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Risk premium on lending (lending rate minus treasury bill rate, %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Risk premium on lending in Zambia. Statizoid, drawing on International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Retrieved 07 September 2026, from https://financial-sector.statizoid.com/stat/risk-premium-on-lending-lending-rate-minus-treasury-bill-rate-percent/zambia/

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About this data

Indicator
Risk premium on lending (lending rate minus treasury bill rate, %)
Unit
lending rate minus treasury bill rate, %
Source
International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
86 places, 2,478 data points, 1960–2025
Last refreshed

Risk premium on lending is the interest rate charged by banks on loans to private sector customers minus the "risk free" treasury bill interest rate at which short-term government securities are issued or traded in the market. In some countries this spread may be negative, indicating that the market considers its best corporate clients to be lower risk than the government. The terms and conditions attached to lending rates differ by country, however, limiting their comparability.