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    Zambia

    Extended
    Africa · #93 of 117 markets · IEPA 2024 (final) · 2026 current estimate available
    39.2▲ +3.3 YoY
    ●●○0.78IEPA COMPOSITE

    Zambia scores 39.2 out of 100 on the IEPA (2024 edition), ranking #93 of 117 economies. That is up 3.3 points on the year before. Its strongest zone is FDI Accelerator at 66.7. Its binding constraint, the lowest-scoring of its six zones, is Innovation Capacity at 16.3. How the IEPA works →

    SIX FACTORS · CLICK ANY SCORE FOR ITS EVIDENCE
    IEPA TRAJECTORY · 2010–2026
    2010201220142016201820202022202420262835424956
    CAPITAL FLOWS · FDI NET INFLOWS % OF GDP
    20102011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222024-404812
    IE FDI intelligence · synced weekly
    PRODUCTIVE CAPABILITY
    IE COMPLEXITY LAYER · VINTAGE 2024
    #104of 145 ranked economies▼ 2 places since 2010
    How much productive know-how this market has demonstrated, read from the range and rarity of what it makes competitively.
    201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024909498105
    CAPABILITY RANK · HIGHER IS BETTER
    3.49% / yr
    Implied growth
    Annual growth the current capability base points to.
    98
    Diversity
    Distinct products made at competitive scale.
    -0.67
    Capability score
    Standardized: 0 is the world average.
    -0.84
    Outlook
    Value of the new products within reach of what it already does.
    INDUSTRY STRENGTHS · REVEALED FROM TRADE EVIDENCE
    VINTAGE 2022-2024
    POSITION IN THE PRODUCT SPACE
    IE COMPLEXITY LAYER · VINTAGE 2024
    Minerals16 of 48 made · 75% of the rest within reach
    Agriculture22 of 200 made · 33% of the rest within reach
    Construction, Building, and Home Supplies8 of 104 made · 23% of the rest within reach
    Industrial Chemicals and Metals11 of 157 made · 29% of the rest within reach
    Metalworking and Electrical Machinery and Parts4 of 155 made · 13% of the rest within reach
    Textile and Home Goods2 of 78 made · 9% of the rest within reach
    Textile Apparel and Accessories1 of 50 made · 10% of the rest within reach
    Electronic and Electrical Goods0 of 73 made · 0% of the rest within reach
    MADE COMPETITIVELYONE STEP AWAY
    Widest opening is Minerals. This market makes 33% of that cluster today, and 75% of what it does not make sits one step from something it already does.
    Electronic and Electrical Goods is the furthest: 0% made, and only 0% of the rest is within one step. A move there means building capability rather than extending it.
    READ ON THE 64 OF 98 COMPETITIVE PRODUCTS THAT CARRY A POSITION IN THE CAPABILITY MAP
    POSITIONED TO BUILD NEXT
    IE COMPLEXITY LAYER · VINTAGE 2024
    No product currently sits close enough to this market’s export base to read as a credible next step. Concentrated export structures show exactly this pattern: of the 443 products assessed, even the nearest remain well outside current capability.
    Read that as a diagnosis, not a gap in the data. Diversification from here starts with building new capability rather than extending what already exists.
    LIVE SIGNALS
    No recent scored signals for this market.
    PEERS · EXTENDED
    🇪🇨Ecuador39.9→🇦🇷Argentina39.7→🇱🇾Libya40.7→🇹🇹Trinidad and Tobago40.9→
    ECOSYSTEM DENSITY
    IE Ecosystem Registry · 2026-06-25
    78organizations indexed across 4 types · 78 mapped
    Universities & research bodies
    37
    Research organizations
    20
    Government bodies
    17
    Health research
    4
    Universities, corporate R&D, government bodies, incubators, accelerators, science parks, and special economic zones, indexed today.Explore the directory →
    ORGANIZATIONS
    a sample of 78 indexed
    University of Zambia
    Universities & research bodies · Lusaka · 1966
    Evelyn Hone College
    Universities & research bodies · Lusaka · 1965
    Pelum Association
    Research organizations · Lusaka · 1998
    Zambia Institute for Policy Analysis and Research
    Research organizations · Lusaka · 2006
    Tropical Gastroenterology & Nutrition group
    Health research · Lusaka · 1999
    University Teaching Hospital
    Health research · Lusaka · 1974
    Surgical Society of Zambia
    Government bodies · Lusaka
    Members get the full directory, filters, and exports.See all 78 organizations →

    Zambia: common questions

    What is Zambia's IEPA score?
    Zambia scores 39.2 out of 100 on the IEPA, 2024 edition, which ranks it #93 of 117 economies.
    What is Zambia's strongest zone?
    FDI Accelerator, at 66.7. The six zones are scored separately, so a market's strengths stay visible instead of being averaged away.
    What is holding Zambia back?
    Its binding constraint is Innovation Capacity, at 16.3, the lowest of its six zones. The IEPA reports every zone separately so the constraint stays visible instead of being averaged into the composite.
    How does Zambia compare with its peers?
    The closest scored peers are Ecuador (39.9), Argentina (39.7), Libya (40.7), Trinidad and Tobago (40.9).
    What is the IEPA?
    The Innovation Ecosystem Prosperity Assessment (IEPA) scores economies across six zones: innovation capacity, entrepreneurship capacity, resilience, alignment, the FDI accelerator, and prosperity outcomes. Every score carries a confidence band and traces to the evidence behind it.
    Run the full diagnostic →Talk to IE about Zambia →