Pesticide use in Zambia

Zambia: Pesticide use was 4,197 tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
4,197 tonnes
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
66th
of 211 countries
All-time high
4,348 tonnes
in 2017
All-time low
716 tonnes
in 1995
Years of data
34
1990–2023

Pesticide use in Zambia, 1990–2023

1.0k2.0k3.0k4.0k1990200620231990: 1.1k tonnes1991: 1.1k tonnes1992: 1.1k tonnes1993: 1.1k tonnes1994: 1.1k tonnes1995: 716 tonnes1996: 1.7k tonnes1997: 1.8k tonnes1998: 1.9k tonnes1999: 2.1k tonnes2000: 2.2k tonnes2001: 2.3k tonnes2002: 2.4k tonnes2003: 2.6k tonnes2004: 2.7k tonnes2005: 2.8k tonnes2006: 2.9k tonnes2007: 3.1k tonnes2008: 3.2k tonnes2009: 3.3k tonnes2010: 3.5k tonnes2011: 3.6k tonnes2012: 3.7k tonnes2013: 3.8k tonnes2014: 4.0k tonnes2015: 4.1k tonnes2016: 4.2k tonnes2017: 4.3k tonnes2018: 4.2k tonnes2019: 4.2k tonnes2020: 4.2k tonnes2021: 4.2k tonnes2022: 4.2k tonnes2023: 4.2k tonnes

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.

Analysis

In 2023, pesticide use in Zambia stood at 4,197 tonnes.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 9.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, pesticide use in Zambia peaked at 4,348 tonnes in 2017 and was at its lowest, 716 tonnes, in 1995.

That places Zambia 66th out of 211 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 1,356 tonnes 716 tonnes 2,053 tonnes 10
2000s 2,754 tonnes 2,180 tonnes 3,328 tonnes 10
2010s 3,961 tonnes 3,455 tonnes 4,348 tonnes 10
2020s 4,197 tonnes 4,197 tonnes 4,197 tonnes 4

Countries ranked near Zambia

  1. 63 Belgium 4,801 tonnes compare
  2. 64 Czechia 4,573 tonnes compare
  3. 65 Greece 4,217 tonnes compare
  4. 67 Ethiopia 4,128 tonnes compare
  5. 68 Sudan 4,083 tonnes compare
  6. 69 Venezuela 3,928 tonnes compare

See the full ranking of 211 places →

More reference data data for Zambia

All data for Zambia →

Frequently asked questions

What is pesticide use in Zambia?
Pesticide use in Zambia was 4,197 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 pesticide use recorded in Zambia?
The highest recorded value was 4,348 tonnes in 2017.
What is the lowest pesticide use recorded in Zambia?
The lowest recorded value was 716 tonnes in 1995.
How does Zambia rank for pesticide use?
Zambia ranks 66th out of 211 countries with data for 2023.
Is pesticide use rising or falling in Zambia?
Over the last ten years it is up 9.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
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 Pesticide 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

Indicator
Pesticide use
Unit
tonnes
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
211 places, 7,015 data points, 1990–2023
Last refreshed

Total pesticide use measured in tonnes of pesticide consumption per year.