Tonne-kilometers of air freight in Zambia
Zambia: Tonne-kilometers of air freight was 104.32 million million ton-km in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
104.32 million million ton-km
Change on year
up 4.8%
World rank
63rd
of 180 countries
All-time high
104.32 million million ton-km
in 2023
All-time low
0 million ton-km
in 2004
Years of data
49
1970–2023
Tonne-kilometers of air freight in Zambia, 1970–2023
Source: International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in million ton-km.
Analysis
In 2023, tonne-kilometers of air freight in Zambia stood at 104.32 million million ton-km. That is the highest value across all 49 years on record.
The figure is up 4.8% on the previous year and up 11.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, tonne-kilometers of air freight in Zambia peaked at 104.32 million million ton-km in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0 million ton-km, in 2004.
Zambia ranks 63rd of 180 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Tonne-kilometers of air freight in Zambia, year by year
| Year | million ton-km | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 4.50 million million ton-km | — |
| 1971 | 5.40 million million ton-km | +20.0% |
| 1972 | 5.80 million million ton-km | +7.4% |
| 1973 | 15.50 million million ton-km | +167.2% |
| 1974 | 21.50 million million ton-km | +38.7% |
| 1975 | 19.00 million million ton-km | -11.6% |
| 1976 | 18.20 million million ton-km | -4.2% |
| 1977 | 32.60 million million ton-km | +79.1% |
| 1978 | 36.20 million million ton-km | +11.0% |
| 1979 | 78.90 million million ton-km | +118.0% |
| 1980 | 46.90 million million ton-km | -40.6% |
| 1981 | 17.50 million million ton-km | -62.7% |
| 1982 | 22.90 million million ton-km | +30.9% |
| 1983 | 23.40 million million ton-km | +2.2% |
| 1984 | 25.30 million million ton-km | +8.1% |
| 1985 | 25.30 million million ton-km | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 24.50 million million ton-km | -3.2% |
| 1987 | 25.70 million million ton-km | +4.9% |
| 1988 | 24.80 million million ton-km | -3.5% |
| 1989 | 24.90 million million ton-km | +0.4% |
| 1990 | 29.60 million million ton-km | +18.9% |
| 1991 | 21.70 million million ton-km | -26.7% |
| 1992 | 16.50 million million ton-km | -24.0% |
| 1993 | 13.60 million million ton-km | -17.6% |
| 1994 | 15.70 million million ton-km | +15.4% |
| 1997 | 500,000 million ton-km | -96.8% |
| 1998 | 500,000 million ton-km | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 400,000 million ton-km | -20.0% |
| 2000 | 457,000 million ton-km | +14.2% |
| 2001 | 28,000 million ton-km | -93.9% |
| 2002 | 28,000 million ton-km | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 31,000 million ton-km | +10.7% |
| 2004 | 0 million ton-km | -100.0% |
| 2005 | 0 million ton-km | — |
| 2006 | 0 million ton-km | — |
| 2010 | 0 million ton-km | — |
| 2011 | 0 million ton-km | — |
| 2012 | 0 million ton-km | — |
| 2013 | 93.43 million million ton-km | — |
| 2014 | 83.43 million million ton-km | -10.7% |
| 2015 | 79.38 million million ton-km | -4.9% |
| 2016 | 80.35 million million ton-km | +1.2% |
| 2017 | 81.56 million million ton-km | +1.5% |
| 2018 | 75.08 million million ton-km | -7.9% |
| 2019 | 79.33 million million ton-km | +5.7% |
| 2020 | 69.97 million million ton-km | -11.8% |
| 2021 | 75.19 million million ton-km | +7.5% |
| 2022 | 99.57 million million ton-km | +32.4% |
| 2023 | 104.32 million million ton-km | +4.8% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 104.32 million million ton-km is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 5.64 million million ton-km, 18.5× the median. (44 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 104.32 million million ton-km is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 639,841 million ton-km, 163.0× the median. (44 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Tonne-kilometers of air freight in Zambia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | +167.2% | 5.80 million million ton-km | 15.50 million million ton-km |
| 1979 | +118.0% | 36.20 million million ton-km | 78.90 million million ton-km |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 23.76 million million ton-km | 4.50 million million ton-km | 78.90 million million ton-km | 10 |
| 1980s | 26.12 million million ton-km | 17.50 million million ton-km | 46.90 million million ton-km | 10 |
| 1990s | 12.31 million million ton-km | 400,000 million ton-km | 29.60 million million ton-km | 8 |
| 2000s | 77,714 million ton-km | 0 million ton-km | 457,000 million ton-km | 7 |
| 2010s | 57.26 million million ton-km | 0 million ton-km | 93.43 million million ton-km | 10 |
| 2020s | 87.26 million million ton-km | 69.97 million million ton-km | 104.32 million million ton-km | 4 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 60 Tajikistan 131.74 million million ton-km compare
- 61 Ecuador 120.01 million million ton-km compare
- 62 Jordan 110.06 million million ton-km compare
- 64 Bangladesh 98.85 million million ton-km compare
- 65 Uzbekistan 96.46 million million ton-km compare
- 66 Morocco 92.64 million million ton-km compare
More reference data data for Zambia
- Exchange rate, new LCU per USD extended backward, period average 18.94 (2026)
- Exchange rate, old LCU per USD extended forward, period average 18.94 (2026)
- Official exchange rate, LCU per USD, period average 18.94 (2026)
- Political opposition, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Elected parliament and government, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Global number of reported disasters by size, gaps filled 0 events (2025)
- Annual precipitation, annual growth rate 40.84 % change on previous year (2025)
- Free country, gaps filled 1 (2025)
- Civil liberties rating, gaps filled 4 (2025)
- Civil liberties rating, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is tonne-kilometers of air freight in Zambia?
- Tonne-kilometers of air freight in Zambia was 104.32 million million ton-km in 2023, according to International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest tonne-kilometers of air freight recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 104.32 million million ton-km in 2023.
- What is the lowest tonne-kilometers of air freight recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 million ton-km in 2004.
- How does Zambia rank for tonne-kilometers of air freight?
- Zambia ranks 63rd out of 180 countries with data for 2023.
- Is tonne-kilometers of air freight rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Tonne-kilometers of air freight. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 49 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Air freight is the volume of freight, express, and diplomatic bags carried on each flight stage (operation of an aircraft from takeoff to its next landing), measured in metric tonnes times kilometers traveled.