The Republic of Zambia, formerly Northern Rhodesia, is one of the world's poorest countries, despite having rich mineral deposits in the form of copper. In the late 1960s, the country was one of the world's largest copper producers, but the economy suffered when world copper prices collapsed in the mid 1970s. Copper remains the main source of foreign earnings for the country. Zambia's official language is English, with Bemba, Lozi, Nyanja, and Tonga widely spoken.

Leader: President Rupiah Banda (since death of Levy Mwanawasa, in 2008)
Capital city: Lusaka

Economic profile

Monetary unit: Kwacha
GDP per capita: $376 (2007) (IMF)
GDP composition by sector:
Agriculture: 16,7% (2008) (World Bank)
Industry: 26% (2008) (World Bank)
Services: 57,3% (2008) (World Bank)
GDP growth rate: 5,8% (2008) (IMF)
Budget:
Government revenue, excluding grants: 19,1% of GDP (2007) (IMF)
Government expenditure: 25,7% of GDP (2007) (IMF)
Consumer price inflation: 11,8% (2007) (IMF)
Industries: Copper mining and processing, construction, foodstuffs, beverages, chemicals, textiles, fertilizer, and horticulture
Exports of goods and services: 41,2% of GDP (2007) (IMF)
Imports of goods and services: 38,3% of GDP (2007) (IMF)
Export commodities: Copper/cobalt 64%, cobalt, electricity; tobacco, flowers, and cotton
Import commodities: Not stated
Trade balance: 8,3% of GDP (2007) (IMF)
Reserves: 3,0 months of imports (2007) (IMF)
Total investment: 26% of GDP (2007) (IMF)
Market capitalisation of listed companies: 13,6% (2005) (World Bank)

Social profile

Population: 11,86-million (2008) (World Bank)
Population growth: 1,6% (2008) (World Bank)
Life expectancy at birth: 39 years (2009) (CIA)
Adult literacy: 80,6% (2003) (UNStats)
School enrolment primary: 111,1% (2005) (World Bank)
School enrolment secondary: 28,3% (2005) (World Bank)
School enrolment tertiary: 2,3% (2000) (World Bank)
Unemployment: 50% (2000) (UNStats)
Number of people living with HIV/Aids: 1,1-million (2007) (UNAids estimate)