Palm oil imports in Zambia
Zambia: Palm oil imports was 65,000 tonnes in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
65,000 tonnes
Change on year
up 38.3%
World rank
68th
of 190 countries
All-time high
85,000 tonnes
in 2021
All-time low
0 tonnes
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Palm oil imports in Zambia, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
Zambia recorded 65,000 tonnes for palm oil imports in 2023.
That represents a change of up 38.3% on the previous year and up 16.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, palm oil imports in Zambia peaked at 85,000 tonnes in 2021 and was at its lowest, 0 tonnes, in 1961.
Zambia ranks 68th of 190 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Palm oil imports in Zambia, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1963 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1964 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1965 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1966 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1967 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1968 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1969 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1970 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1971 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1972 | 1,000 tonnes | — |
| 1973 | 1,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 0 tonnes | -100.0% |
| 1975 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1976 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1977 | 1,000 tonnes | — |
| 1978 | 0 tonnes | -100.0% |
| 1979 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1980 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1981 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1982 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1983 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1984 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1985 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1986 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1987 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1988 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1989 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1990 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1992 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1993 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1994 | 1,000 tonnes | — |
| 1995 | 0 tonnes | -100.0% |
| 1996 | 1,000 tonnes | — |
| 1997 | 1,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 1,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 4,000 tonnes | +300.0% |
| 2000 | 9,000 tonnes | +125.0% |
| 2001 | 18,000 tonnes | +100.0% |
| 2002 | 19,000 tonnes | +5.6% |
| 2003 | 23,000 tonnes | +21.1% |
| 2004 | 28,000 tonnes | +21.7% |
| 2005 | 30,000 tonnes | +7.1% |
| 2006 | 30,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 20,000 tonnes | -33.3% |
| 2008 | 21,000 tonnes | +5.0% |
| 2009 | 33,000 tonnes | +57.1% |
| 2010 | 60,000 tonnes | +81.8% |
| 2011 | 69,000 tonnes | +15.0% |
| 2012 | 61,000 tonnes | -11.6% |
| 2013 | 56,000 tonnes | -8.2% |
| 2014 | 51,000 tonnes | -8.9% |
| 2015 | 61,000 tonnes | +19.6% |
| 2016 | 60,000 tonnes | -1.6% |
| 2017 | 57,000 tonnes | -5.0% |
| 2018 | 60,000 tonnes | +5.3% |
| 2019 | 72,000 tonnes | +20.0% |
| 2020 | 59,000 tonnes | -18.1% |
| 2021 | 85,000 tonnes | +44.1% |
| 2022 | 47,000 tonnes | -44.7% |
| 2023 | 65,000 tonnes | +38.3% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 65,000 tonnes is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 54,000 tonnes, 1.2× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 65,000 tonnes is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 56,000 tonnes, 1.2× the median. (45 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Palm oil imports in Zambia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | +300.0% | 1,000 tonnes | 4,000 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0 tonnes | 0 tonnes | 0 tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 300 tonnes | 0 tonnes | 1,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 0 tonnes | 0 tonnes | 0 tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 800 tonnes | 0 tonnes | 4,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 23,100 tonnes | 9,000 tonnes | 33,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 60,700 tonnes | 51,000 tonnes | 72,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 64,000 tonnes | 47,000 tonnes | 85,000 tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 65 Rwanda 93,000 tonnes compare
- 66 El Salvador 91,000 tonnes compare
- 67 Australia 80,000 tonnes compare
- 69 Dominican Republic 58,000 tonnes compare
- 70 Tunisia 57,000 tonnes compare
- 71 Cote d'Ivoire 56,000 tonnes 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 palm oil imports in Zambia?
- Palm oil imports in Zambia was 65,000 tonnes in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest palm oil imports recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 85,000 tonnes in 2021.
- What is the lowest palm oil imports recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 tonnes in 1961.
- How does Zambia rank for palm oil imports?
- Zambia ranks 68th out of 190 countries with data for 2023.
- Is palm oil imports rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 16.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Palm oil imports. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).