Domestic general government health expenditure in Zambia
Zambia: Domestic general government health expenditure was 2.4% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Domestic general government health expenditure in Zambia, 2000–2023
Source: Global Health Expenditure Database, updated December 12th, 2025, World Health Organization (WHO). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Zambia recorded 2.4% for domestic general government health expenditure in 2023.
That represents a change of down 2.9% on the previous year and up 85.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, domestic general government health expenditure in Zambia peaked at 3.6% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 1.2%, in 2005.
That places Zambia 116th out of 193 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Domestic general government health expenditure in Zambia, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 1.5% | — |
| 2001 | 1.9% | +30.6% |
| 2002 | 1.9% | -1.4% |
| 2003 | 1.5% | -23.4% |
| 2004 | 1.3% | -9.5% |
| 2005 | 1.2% | -5.5% |
| 2006 | 1.3% | +6.9% |
| 2007 | 1.5% | +12.0% |
| 2008 | 1.6% | +6.5% |
| 2009 | 1.7% | +5.2% |
| 2010 | 1.6% | -6.5% |
| 2011 | 1.6% | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 1.5% | -2.0% |
| 2013 | 1.3% | -15.1% |
| 2014 | 1.9% | +44.6% |
| 2015 | 2.1% | +10.4% |
| 2016 | 1.7% | -18.0% |
| 2017 | 2.5% | +46.4% |
| 2018 | 2.1% | -16.8% |
| 2019 | 2.3% | +8.2% |
| 2020 | 3.6% | +59.1% |
| 2021 | 2.8% | -21.4% |
| 2022 | 2.5% | -11.2% |
| 2023 | 2.4% | -2.9% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 2.4% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1.9%, 1.3× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 2.4% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.2%, 2.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1.5% | 1.2% | 1.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.9% | 1.3% | 2.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.8% | 2.4% | 3.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 113 Honduras 2.5% compare
- 114 Burkina Faso 2.5% compare
- 115 Guatemala 2.4% compare
- 117 Rwanda 2.4% compare
- 118 Kyrgyzstan 2.4% compare
- 119 Uzbekistan 2.4% compare
More health data for Zambia
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.09 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.7971 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 809.3 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 8,894 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.68 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0743 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.69 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is domestic general government health expenditure in Zambia?
- Domestic general government health expenditure in Zambia was 2.4% in 2023, according to Global Health Expenditure Database, updated December 12th, 2025, World Health Organization (WHO).
- What is the highest domestic general government health expenditure recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 3.6% in 2020.
- What is the lowest domestic general government health expenditure recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.2% in 2005.
- How does Zambia rank for domestic general government health expenditure?
- Zambia ranks 116th out of 193 countries with data for 2023.
- Is domestic general government health expenditure rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 85.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from Global Health Expenditure Database, updated December 12th, 2025, World Health Organization (WHO), published as part of Domestic general government health expenditure (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Public expenditure on health from domestic sources as a share of the economy as measured by GDP.