🇿🇲 Zambia National Debt Clock
Live tracker for Zambia government debt. The national debt currently stands at
approximately $33.7 billion, growing at $187 per second based on IMF fiscal deficit projections. Debt-to-GDP: 101%. Per-citizen share: $1,497.
IMF WEO October 2026 puts general government debt at about 101% of GDP at end-2025. The IMF's ECF 6th review (January 2026) had put it near 91% after the restructuring.
Among the 135 governments tracked here, Zambia ranks 19th by debt-to-GDP, 91st by total debt and 108th by debt per person.
About Zambia's National Debt
Zambia became Africa's first pandemic-era sovereign default in 2020 and spent years restructuring under the G20 Common Framework; its copper-dependent finances remain sensitive to metal prices.
Zambia's debt-to-GDP ratio of 101% is high: higher than 86% of the 135 governments tracked here. No ratio is safe or dangerous on its own — whether a debt is sustainable depends on the interest rate on it, how fast the economy grows, the currency it is owed in and who holds it. By total government debt, Zambia ranks 91st of the 135 governments tracked here.
At the current borrowing rate of $187 per second, Zambia adds about $16 million to its government debt every day — roughly $5.9 billion per year. Each of Zambia's 23 million residents carries an individual share of approximately $1,497. That is below the world average of roughly $14,600 in government debt per person.
Figures are computed by Global Debt Clock by linear extrapolation from each country's baseline figure, named in the source line on this page (for most countries, the IMF World Economic Outlook, October 2026). Actual debt changes through discrete bond issuances — these counters illustrate the approximate scale and pace of sovereign borrowing.
Zambia National Debt — Frequently Asked Questions
What is Zambia's national debt right now?
Zambia's national debt is approximately $33.7 billion as of October 27, 2026, growing at $187 per second. Its debt-to-GDP ratio is 101% and each citizen's share is about $1,497.
How fast is Zambia's debt growing?
Zambia's government debt is growing at approximately $187 per second — about $16 million per day — derived from the IMF's projections for 2026.
What is Zambia's debt per capita?
Each of Zambia's 23 million residents carries a notional share of approximately $1,497 of the national debt.
What is Zambia's debt-to-GDP ratio?
Zambia's debt-to-GDP ratio is 101%. That is higher than 86% of the 135 governments tracked here.
Why is Zambia's government debt at this level?
Zambia became Africa's first pandemic-era sovereign default in 2020 and spent years restructuring under the G20 Common Framework; its copper-dependent finances remain sensitive to metal prices.
Compare Zambia vs another country
Live side-by-side debt comparisons — shareable cards for journalists and social.
Further reading
Other Africa countries
Put this counter on your site
The Zambia counter is available as a free embeddable widget — one line of HTML, no script tag, no tracking. Attribution link included.
Data & Citation
Source: IMF WEO October 2026 (GGXWDG, end-2025 stock) · baseline anchored .
Methodology: debt = 28,876,091,859 + 187 × seconds_since(2026-01-01)
Machine-readable data: /api/debt?c=zm (live JSON) · /data/debt.json (full dataset)
Embed This Counter
Add a live Zambia debt counter to your website. Free on any website, including blogs and ad-supported sites, as long as the attribution link stays. Contact us to use it without the link or inside an app. Widget builder →
<iframe src="https://www.global-debt-clock.com/widget/?c=zm" width="340" height="200" frameborder="0" style="border:1px solid #1a2535;border-radius:4px;"></iframe>
<p style="font-size:11px;color:#666;margin:4px 0 0;text-align:right"><a href="https://www.global-debt-clock.com/zm/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" style="color:#888;text-decoration:none">Zambia National Debt — Live Counter</a></p>