Insecticide use in Zambia
Zambia: Insecticide use was 229 tonnes in 2023. ▼ Falling
Insecticide use in Zambia, 1990–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
The most recent figure for insecticide use in Zambia is 229 tonnes, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 34 years on record.
The figure is down 43.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, insecticide use in Zambia peaked at 476 tonnes in 1996 and was at its lowest, 229 tonnes, in 2018.
Zambia ranks 109th of 211 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Insecticide use in Zambia, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 427 tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 427 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 427 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 427 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 427 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 244 tonnes | -42.9% |
| 1996 | 476 tonnes | +95.1% |
| 1997 | 472 tonnes | -0.8% |
| 1998 | 468 tonnes | -0.8% |
| 1999 | 464 tonnes | -0.9% |
| 2000 | 460 tonnes | -0.9% |
| 2001 | 456 tonnes | -0.9% |
| 2002 | 451 tonnes | -1.1% |
| 2003 | 447 tonnes | -0.9% |
| 2004 | 443 tonnes | -0.9% |
| 2005 | 439 tonnes | -0.9% |
| 2006 | 435 tonnes | -0.9% |
| 2007 | 431 tonnes | -0.9% |
| 2008 | 427 tonnes | -0.9% |
| 2009 | 423 tonnes | -0.9% |
| 2010 | 419 tonnes | -0.9% |
| 2011 | 415 tonnes | -1.0% |
| 2012 | 410 tonnes | -1.2% |
| 2013 | 406 tonnes | -1.0% |
| 2014 | 402 tonnes | -1.0% |
| 2015 | 398 tonnes | -1.0% |
| 2016 | 394 tonnes | -1.0% |
| 2017 | 390 tonnes | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 229 tonnes | -41.3% |
| 2019 | 229 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 229 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 229 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 229 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 229 tonnes | +0.0% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 229 tonnes is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 351.5 tonnes, 65% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 229 tonnes is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 286 tonnes, 80% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Insecticide use 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | +95.1% | 244 tonnes | 476 tonnes |
| 1995 | -42.9% | 427 tonnes | 244 tonnes |
| 2018 | -41.3% | 390 tonnes | 229 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 425.9 tonnes | 244 tonnes | 476 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 441.2 tonnes | 423 tonnes | 460 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 369.2 tonnes | 229 tonnes | 419 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 229 tonnes | 229 tonnes | 229 tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
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)
- 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)
- Civil liberties rating, per capita 0 units per person (2025)
- Consumer price index 483.32 2010 = 100 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is insecticide use in Zambia?
- Insecticide use in Zambia was 229 tonnes in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest insecticide use recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 476 tonnes in 1996.
- What is the lowest insecticide use recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 229 tonnes in 2018.
- How does Zambia rank for insecticide use?
- Zambia ranks 109th out of 211 countries with data for 2023.
- Is insecticide use rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 43.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Insecticide use. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Annual quantity of insecticides used in agriculture, measured as the tonnes of active ingredient per year.