Skip to content
Insights Centre
Sectors · Manufacturing across SADC

Manufacturing in Zambia

Where factories cluster, which zones are filling up, what each country makes and where value addition is missing.

See the city maps

Value added by manufacturing, 2024US$2.3bn9.5% of the economy · 6th largest of 16 in SADC
Real growth+5.0%a year over the last five years, at constant prices
Exports of the pillar's goods, 2024US$11.4bn+48% on five years earlier · 3rd in SADC
Deals in the last 12 months22 tracked in Zambia in all

Manufacturing added US$2.3bn to Zambia's economy in 2024

Value added by manufacturing, the industries in the national accounts closest to manufacturing, US$, at the prices of each year and at constant 2020 prices (which show real growth)

0$500m$1bn$2bn$2bn199019921994199619982000200220042006200820102012201420162018202020222024Prices of each yearUS$2.3bnConstant 2020 pricesUS$1.8bn
Source: UN Statistics Division·dotzedw Insights Centre

Zambia has SADC's 6th largest manufacturing sector

Value added by manufacturing, US$, latest year, with its share of each economy

South AfricaUS$51.3bn14.2% of the economy
AngolaUS$8.9bn7.8% of the economy
ZimbabweUS$7.1bn16.5% of the economy
DRCUS$6.2bn8.8% of the economy
TanzaniaUS$5.9bn7.8% of the economy
ZambiaUS$2.3bn9.5% of the economy
MadagascarUS$2.1bn13.3% of the economy
MauritiusUS$1.7bn12.9% of the economy
MozambiqueUS$1.5bn7.3% of the economy
EswatiniUS$1.4bn31.2% of the economy
NamibiaUS$1.4bn11.7% of the economy
MalawiUS$1.4bn12.3% of the economy
BotswanaUS$1.1bn5.9% of the economy
LesothoUS$289m14.0% of the economy
ComorosUS$137m9.1% of the economy
SeychellesUS$90m4.9% of the economy
Source: UN Statistics Division·dotzedw Insights Centre

Manufacturing, value added (US$): Zambia against SADC

Manufacturing, value added (US$), US$, latest year for each country. Click a bar for that country's manufacturing page.

$0$2bn$4bn$6bn$8bn$10bnSouth Africa$52.3bnAngola$8.3bnZimbabwe$7.6bnDRC$7.2bnTanzania$6.6bn (2023)Zambia$2.5bnMadagascar$2.3bn (2024)Mauritius$1.8bnNamibia$1.5bnEswatini$1.4bnMozambique$1.4bnMalawi$1.2bn (2024)Botswana$1.1bnLesotho$288.6m (2024)Comoros$130.1mSeychelles$129.1mAxis cut: longest bar not to scalemedian $1.7bn

Source: World Bank·dotzedw Insights Centre

Zambia's trade in manufacturing goods since 2012

Exports and imports of the products in this pillar's subsectors, each product counted once, US$

0$5bn$10bn2012201420162018202020222024ExportsUS$11.4bnImportsUS$3.7bn
Source: CEPII BACI·dotzedw Insights Centre

Subsectors

10 in this pillar

Food and beverages in Zambia

Tracks
Mills, breweries, bottlers, sugar mills, dairies and meat plants; plant openings; processed against raw food exports.
Signals ahead
Harvest size, plant expansions, import duties.

Select a figure for its trend. Source: CEPII BACI, dotzedw deals tracker.

Trade in detail

Zambia exported US$386m and imported US$241m of food and beverages in 2024; exports up 102% on five years earlier, 5.3% of what SADC sells abroad.

Zambia's main exports in this subsector, 2024

Soft drinks (220210)US$123m
Bread, biscuits and pastries (190531)US$70m
Sugar (170114)US$59m
Sweets (170490)US$29m
Prepared foods obtained by the swelling or roasting of… (190410)US$18m

Zambia's trade in food and beverages every year since 2012, by partner is part of the Individual plan

US$19 a month or US$190 a year. Subscribe on dotzedw.com and you come straight back to this page with Individual access. Already a member? Sign in with your dotzedw.com account.

Open these deals in the deals tracker

What Zambia sells abroad across manufacturing

Zambia's exports by subsector, 2024, US$, with its share of SADC's exports. A product can count in two subsectors.

Metals, smelting and refiningUS$10.3bn19.8% of SADC · +46% on five years earlier
Food and beveragesUS$386m5.3% of SADC · +102% on five years earlier
Chemicals and fertiliserUS$319m8% of SADC · +59% on five years earlier
Cement and building materialsUS$224m43.6% of SADC · +108% on five years earlier
Automotive and componentsUS$53m0.3% of SADC · +116% on five years earlier
Electrical goods, batteries and solarUS$45m5.1% of SADC · +125% on five years earlier
Packaging, plastics and paperUS$41m1.6% of SADC · +116% on five years earlier
Textiles, clothing and footwearUS$31m0.7% of SADC · -58% on five years earlier
PharmaceuticalsUS$6.7m1.1% of SADC · +53% on five years earlier
Source: CEPII BACI·dotzedw Insights Centre

Who is moving

Open in the deals tracker

2 deals in the last 12 months involving Zambia, placed in subsectors by what they say.

Sources and method