ZamStats Records Trade Surplus as Exports Surge

ZamStats (Zambia Statistics Agency) has reported a significant turnaround in the nation’s trade balance, recording a surplus of K1.4 billion in July 2025 after suffering a K5.3 billion deficit the previous month.

The nation's exports jumped by nearly 23% in July, rising from K21.6 billion to K26.6 billion, according to ZamStats.

Acting Statistician General Sheila Mudenda said the export growth was driven primarily by domestically produced goods, with particularly strong performance in capital goods, which surged by 134%.

"We saw increases in export earnings from intermediate goods by 24.6%, consumer goods by 27.2%, and capital goods by 134.4%," Ms Mudenda explained.

At the same time, imports fell by 3% to K26.1 billion, helping to swing the trade balance into positive territory. The import decline was led by reduced spending on consumer goods, intermediate goods, and raw materials.

The data revealed that road transport remains the country’s primary export channel, accounting for 94% of export value in the first seven months of 2025. Of the total K186.5 billion in exports during this period, K176 billion travelled by road.

Air transport ranked second with K6.1 billion in exports, while rail transport accounted for just K1 billion.

Overall trade activity has increased substantially, with cumulative trade for January to July 2025 reaching K376.1 billion - a 19.7% increase compared to the same period in 2024.