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Zambia
50
High
Risk
Risk
#21
of 171
Riskier
than 88% of currencies
37
global avg score
$497
$1,000 in 5 years
Impact on Citizens
Citizens need their money to grow at least 16.5% per year to not lose purchasing power. Every ZMW 100 saved today will only buy 87 worth of goods next year.See savings calculator ↓
Economic Indicators
Inflation Rate
15.0%
Debt to GDP
71.4%
GDP Growth
3.8%
Broad Money / GDP
31.0%
Banking & Stability
NPL Ratio
5.0%
Reserve Months
3.3
Current Account
-4.4%
FX Volatility
74.6
Governance & Markets
Rule of Law
Not available
Black Market Premium
Not available
Capital Controls
35.0
Peg Fragility
Not available
Currency Structure
Global Currency Role
70.0
FX Regime
managed float
Data Coverage
75.0%
Savings Impact Calculator
ZMW
Holding cash in ZMW15.0% inflation
ZMW 497−ZMW 503 (50% purchasing power lost)
Your ZMW 1,000 buys 50% less in 5 years
What if you invested ZMW 1,000 instead? (5yr, in ZMW terms)
USD-denominated assets gain an additional ~12.0%/yr from expected ZMW depreciation vs USD
Hold USD Cash
ZMW 1538
+ZMW 538
+9.0%/yr net in ZMW
S&P 500
ZMW 2701
+ZMW 1701
range: ZMW 1337–ZMW 5002
10% USD return + 12.0% FX · ±16% vol
Gold
ZMW 2487
+ZMW 1487
range: ZMW 815–ZMW 6189
8% USD return + 12.0% FX · ±24% vol
Bitcoin
ZMW 4824
+ZMW 3824
range: ZMW 394–ZMW 25.4k
25% USD return + 12.0% FX · ±54% vol
All values in ZMW. USD-denominated assets (S&P 500, Gold, Bitcoin) include an estimated FX gain of ~12.0%/yr based on the inflation differential between Zambia (15.0%) and the US (~3%). This uses purchasing power parity as a long-run approximation — actual FX movements can differ significantly in the short term. S&P 500 based on 1957-2024, Gold on 2000-2024, Bitcoin on 2015-2024. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Not financial advice.
Data last updated: 2026-05-19