Zambia: Ores and Metals Share of Exports

## What this measures

Ores and metals (SITC 27, 28 and 68: crude fertilizers and minerals, metal ores and scrap, non-ferrous metals) as a percent of Zambia's merchandise exports. For Zambia this is mostly copper.

## Why it matters

Zambia is Africa's second-largest copper producer and depends on it for most of its export earnings, so copper prices and mine output set its foreign currency supply and its debt capacity.

## How to read it

Annual, dated December 31. It was 73.0% in 2024, up from 71.4% in 2023. Since 1996 it has ranged from 46.6% (2004) to 82.3% (2010).

## What it does not say

It covers all ores and metals, not copper alone, and it shows shares, not dollar amounts: a higher share can mean copper rose or that other exports fell.

## Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators (`TX.VAL.MMTL.ZS.UN`), from UN Comtrade merchandise trade data classified by SITC, via api.worldbank.org. CC BY 4.0.