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ZAMBIA - ATLAS OF OUR CHANGING ENVIRONMENT
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The main pillars of Zambia’s economic growth are
mining, agriculture, construction, transport and trade.
The Zambian economy has grown an average of
6.1 per cent per annum between 2006 and 2009
compared to 4.8 per cent between 2002 and 2005.
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate was
7.6 per cent in 2010 and reduced to 6.6 per cent in
2011 as shown in Figure 1.3. The country’s annual
average growth remains below the envisaged target
of 7.0 per cent according to the government’s Vision
2030 (Ministry of Finance, 2012).
Zambia’s poverty levels have reduced from
62.8 per cent in 2006 to 60.5 per cent in 2010.
However, this is still far from attaining the Millennium
Development Goal (MDG) of halving extreme poverty
by 2015. Rural poverty levels have also remained high
dropping from 80.3 per cent in 2006 to 77.9 per cent
in 2010.
Zambia’s economy is currently largely dependent on
the mining industry however, efforts are being made
to diversify the economy and to promote growth in
key sectors such as agriculture and manufacturing.
Economy
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
GDP Growth Rate %
Tourism facilities along the Zambezi River near the Victoria Falls in Livingstone, Southern Province
McMorrow, B. J., 2005
Figure 1.3 GDP growth rate
World Bank, 2012