Share of government consumption in GDP vs. share of population living in extreme poverty in Zambia
Zambia: Share of government consumption in GDP vs. share of population living in extreme poverty was 17.2% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
17.2%
Change on year
down 8.1%
World rank
122nd
of 184 countries
All-time high
60.3%
in 1981
All-time low
5.7%
in 2000
Years of data
69
1955–2023
Share of government consumption in GDP vs. share of population living in extreme poverty in Zambia, 1955–2023
Source: Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2023, share of government consumption in gdp vs. share of population living in extreme poverty in Zambia stood at 17.2%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 8.1% on the previous year and up 31.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of government consumption in gdp vs. share of population living in extreme poverty in Zambia peaked at 60.3% in 1981 and was at its lowest, 5.7%, in 2000.
That places Zambia 122nd out of 184 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of government consumption in GDP vs. share of population living in extreme poverty in Zambia, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1955 | 24.3% | — |
| 1956 | 24.4% | +0.1% |
| 1957 | 23.6% | -3.0% |
| 1958 | 23.0% | -2.9% |
| 1959 | 22.4% | -2.3% |
| 1960 | 22.8% | +1.4% |
| 1961 | 24.7% | +8.7% |
| 1962 | 25.2% | +1.8% |
| 1963 | 25.6% | +1.5% |
| 1964 | 25.7% | +0.5% |
| 1965 | 29.2% | +13.6% |
| 1966 | 28.4% | -2.7% |
| 1967 | 28.6% | +0.7% |
| 1968 | 28.8% | +0.9% |
| 1969 | 29.6% | +2.5% |
| 1970 | 39.8% | +34.5% |
| 1971 | 49.1% | +23.4% |
| 1972 | 47.4% | -3.4% |
| 1973 | 48.3% | +1.8% |
| 1974 | 48.0% | -0.6% |
| 1975 | 48.6% | +1.4% |
| 1976 | 46.2% | -4.9% |
| 1977 | 49.5% | +7.1% |
| 1978 | 46.3% | -6.4% |
| 1979 | 46.4% | +0.2% |
| 1980 | 53.9% | +16.1% |
| 1981 | 60.3% | +12.0% |
| 1982 | 56.5% | -6.3% |
| 1983 | 52.4% | -7.4% |
| 1984 | 55.9% | +6.8% |
| 1985 | 56.9% | +1.7% |
| 1986 | 46.3% | -18.6% |
| 1987 | 28.2% | -39.1% |
| 1988 | 18.1% | -36.0% |
| 1989 | 23.7% | +31.1% |
| 1990 | 18.8% | -20.5% |
| 1991 | 17.9% | -4.6% |
| 1992 | 15.2% | -15.5% |
| 1993 | 9.6% | -36.8% |
| 1994 | 12.7% | +32.5% |
| 1995 | 13.1% | +2.9% |
| 1996 | 11.3% | -13.7% |
| 1997 | 11.1% | -1.6% |
| 1998 | 10.2% | -7.9% |
| 1999 | 8.6% | -15.9% |
| 2000 | 5.7% | -33.5% |
| 2001 | 6.4% | +12.3% |
| 2002 | 7.4% | +15.3% |
| 2003 | 8.9% | +19.8% |
| 2004 | 12.3% | +37.8% |
| 2005 | 13.3% | +8.8% |
| 2006 | 12.7% | -4.6% |
| 2007 | 10.0% | -21.6% |
| 2008 | 11.1% | +11.7% |
| 2009 | 10.6% | -4.9% |
| 2010 | 9.9% | -6.1% |
| 2011 | 9.7% | -2.5% |
| 2012 | 11.4% | +17.7% |
| 2013 | 13.0% | +14.3% |
| 2014 | 15.6% | +19.3% |
| 2015 | 16.8% | +7.8% |
| 2016 | 19.0% | +13.0% |
| 2017 | 17.6% | -7.3% |
| 2018 | 16.3% | -7.4% |
| 2019 | 22.5% | +38.0% |
| 2020 | 19.3% | -14.2% |
| 2021 | 23.1% | +19.7% |
| 2022 | 18.7% | -18.9% |
| 2023 | 17.2% | -8.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 23.5% | 22.4% | 24.4% | 5 |
| 1960s | 26.8% | 22.8% | 29.6% | 10 |
| 1970s | 46.9% | 39.8% | 49.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 45.2% | 18.1% | 60.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 12.9% | 8.6% | 18.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 9.8% | 5.7% | 13.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 15.2% | 9.7% | 22.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.6% | 17.2% | 23.1% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
More poverty & inequality data for Zambia
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 1 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 4.1 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 2,344 kg per hectare (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate -4.62 % change on previous year (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 16.23 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 16.2% (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of government consumption in gdp vs. share of population living in extreme poverty in Zambia?
- Share of government consumption in gdp vs. share of population living in extreme poverty in Zambia was 17.2% in 2023, according to Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of government consumption in gdp vs. share of population living in extreme poverty recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 60.3% in 1981.
- What is the lowest share of government consumption in gdp vs. share of population living in extreme poverty recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.7% in 2000.
- How does Zambia rank for share of government consumption in gdp vs. share of population living in extreme poverty?
- Zambia ranks 122nd out of 184 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of government consumption in gdp vs. share of population living in extreme poverty rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 31.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of government consumption in GDP vs. share of population living in extreme poverty. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Government consumption divided by gross domestic product, expressed as a percentage.