Zambia’s economy grew 5.2% in 2025, AfDB report says
An African Development Bank report points to faster growth while warning that Zambia still faces a large development-financing gap.
Zambia’s economy grew 5.2% in 2025, compared with 3.8% in 2024, according to the African Development Bank’s 2026 Country Focus Report. The bank linked the acceleration to activity in agriculture, information and communications technology, transport, mining and manufacturing, as well as investment and exports.
The report says domestic financing covered about 81% of Zambia’s 2025 budget. Even so, it identifies a development-financing gap of about $5.4 billion, showing the distance between available resources and the country’s investment needs.
The bank calls for Zambia to mobilise finance on a larger scale through domestic resources, capital markets and private investment. The report was presented at a launch event in Lusaka amid wider concerns about global uncertainty and funding pressures.
Faster GDP growth indicates increased economic output, but the financing gap remains a constraint on projects and services the country wants to deliver.
Source: African Development Bank (published 23 October 2026).
