Electricity generation from hydropower in Zambia
Zambia: Electricity generation from hydropower was 17 terawatt-hours in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
17 terawatt-hours
Change on year
down 0.5%
World rank
34th
of 215 countries
All-time high
17.09 terawatt-hours
in 2022
All-time low
7.67 terawatt-hours
in 2000
Years of data
25
2000–2024
Electricity generation from hydropower in Zambia, 2000–2024
Source: Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in terawatt-hours.
Analysis
The most recent figure for electricity generation from hydropower in Zambia is 17 terawatt-hours, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.5% on the previous year and up 21.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, electricity generation from hydropower in Zambia peaked at 17.09 terawatt-hours in 2022 and was at its lowest, 7.67 terawatt-hours, in 2000.
Zambia ranks 34th of 215 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
Electricity generation from hydropower in Zambia, year by year
| Year | terawatt-hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 7.67 terawatt-hours | — |
| 2001 | 7.89 terawatt-hours | +2.9% |
| 2002 | 8.1 terawatt-hours | +2.7% |
| 2003 | 8.26 terawatt-hours | +2.0% |
| 2004 | 8.46 terawatt-hours | +2.4% |
| 2005 | 8.88 terawatt-hours | +5.0% |
| 2006 | 9.67 terawatt-hours | +8.9% |
| 2007 | 9.63 terawatt-hours | -0.4% |
| 2008 | 9.52 terawatt-hours | -1.1% |
| 2009 | 9.88 terawatt-hours | +3.8% |
| 2010 | 10.44 terawatt-hours | +5.7% |
| 2011 | 11.48 terawatt-hours | +10.0% |
| 2012 | 12.35 terawatt-hours | +7.6% |
| 2013 | 13.28 terawatt-hours | +7.5% |
| 2014 | 14.04 terawatt-hours | +5.7% |
| 2015 | 13.04 terawatt-hours | -7.1% |
| 2016 | 11.02 terawatt-hours | -15.5% |
| 2017 | 12.49 terawatt-hours | +13.3% |
| 2018 | 13.71 terawatt-hours | +9.8% |
| 2019 | 12.33 terawatt-hours | -10.1% |
| 2020 | 12.79 terawatt-hours | +3.7% |
| 2021 | 16.07 terawatt-hours | +25.6% |
| 2022 | 17.09 terawatt-hours | +6.3% |
| 2023 | 17.09 terawatt-hours | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 17 terawatt-hours | -0.5% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 17 terawatt-hours is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 2.8 terawatt-hours, 6.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 17 terawatt-hours is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.38 terawatt-hours, 44.7× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 8.8 terawatt-hours | 7.67 terawatt-hours | 9.88 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.42 terawatt-hours | 10.44 terawatt-hours | 14.04 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 16.01 terawatt-hours | 12.79 terawatt-hours | 17.09 terawatt-hours | 5 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 31 Tajikistan 23.28 terawatt-hours compare
- 32 Chile 19.68 terawatt-hours compare
- 33 Germany 19.56 terawatt-hours compare
- 34 North Korea 17 terawatt-hours compare
- 36 Mozambique 16.3 terawatt-hours compare
- 37 Portugal 15.18 terawatt-hours compare
More energy & mining data for Zambia
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate 0.0312 % change on previous year (2024)
- Coal consumption, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Coal consumption, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary energy use, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary energy use, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Coal production, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Coal production, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Fuel imports 22.9% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is electricity generation from hydropower in Zambia?
- Electricity generation from hydropower in Zambia was 17 terawatt-hours in 2024, according to Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest electricity generation from hydropower recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 17.09 terawatt-hours in 2022.
- What is the lowest electricity generation from hydropower recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.67 terawatt-hours in 2000.
- How does Zambia rank for electricity generation from hydropower?
- Zambia ranks 34th out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
- Is electricity generation from hydropower rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 21.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Electricity generation from hydropower. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Measured in terawatt-hours.