Passenger-kilometers by rail in Zambia
Zambia: Passenger-kilometers by rail was 4.18 million million passenger-km in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Passenger-kilometers by rail in Zambia, 1996–2018
Source: International Union of Railways (UIC) and OECD, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in million passenger-km.
Analysis
The most recent figure for passenger-kilometers by rail in Zambia is 4.18 million million passenger-km, measured in 2018. That is the lowest value across all 6 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.9% on the previous year.
Over the whole period, passenger-kilometers by rail in Zambia peaked at 280.00 million million passenger-km in 1996 and was at its lowest, 4.18 million million passenger-km, in 2018.
Zambia ranks 99th of 101 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
Passenger-kilometers by rail in Zambia, year by year
| Year | million passenger-km | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 280.00 million million passenger-km | — |
| 1997 | 236.00 million million passenger-km | -15.7% |
| 1998 | 183.00 million million passenger-km | -22.5% |
| 1999 | 186.00 million million passenger-km | +1.6% |
| 2017 | 4.27 million million passenger-km | -97.7% |
| 2018 | 4.18 million million passenger-km | -1.9% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 4.18 million million passenger-km is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 173.63 million million passenger-km, 2% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 4.18 million million passenger-km is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 94.00 million million passenger-km, 4% of the median. (19 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 221.25 million million passenger-km | 183.00 million million passenger-km | 280.00 million million passenger-km | 4 |
| 2010s | 4.23 million million passenger-km | 4.18 million million passenger-km | 4.27 million million passenger-km | 2 |
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)
- 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 passenger-kilometers by rail in Zambia?
- Passenger-kilometers by rail in Zambia was 4.18 million million passenger-km in 2018, according to International Union of Railways (UIC) and OECD, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest passenger-kilometers by rail recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 280.00 million million passenger-km in 1996.
- What is the lowest passenger-kilometers by rail recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.18 million million passenger-km in 2018.
- How does Zambia rank for passenger-kilometers by rail?
- Zambia ranks 99th out of 101 countries with data for 2018.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from International Union of Railways (UIC) and OECD, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Passenger-kilometers by rail. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 6 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The number of passengers transported by rail, multiplied by the kilometers traveled. This is measured in passenger-kilometers.