Wealth share of the richest 1% in Zambia

Zambia: Wealth share of the richest 1% was 36.5% in 2024. ▬ Flat

Latest (2024)
36.5%
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
22nd
of 215 countries
All-time high
39.4%
in 2015
All-time low
30.1%
in 2002
Years of data
45
1980–2024

Wealth share of the richest 1% in Zambia, 1980–2024

0102030401980200220241980: 38.8 %1981: 38.8 %1982: 38.8 %1983: 38.8 %1984: 38.8 %1985: 38.8 %1986: 38.8 %1987: 38.8 %1988: 38.8 %1989: 38.8 %1990: 38.8 %1991: 38.8 %1992: 38.2 %1993: 36.3 %1994: 34.6 %1995: 33.9 %1996: 33.5 %1997: 34.1 %1998: 36.1 %1999: 33.4 %2000: 31.8 %2001: 30.9 %2002: 30.1 %2003: 36.3 %2004: 39.3 %2005: 39.3 %2006: 39.3 %2007: 39.2 %2008: 39 %2009: 38.8 %2010: 38.6 %2011: 38.8 %2012: 39 %2013: 39.2 %2014: 39.3 %2015: 39.4 %2016: 39.2 %2017: 39 %2018: 38.7 %2019: 38.5 %2020: 38.2 %2021: 37.8 %2022: 36.5 %2023: 36.5 %2024: 36.5 %

Source: World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for wealth share of the richest 1% in Zambia is 36.5%, measured in 2024.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 7.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, wealth share of the richest 1% in Zambia peaked at 39.4% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 30.1%, in 2002.

Zambia ranks 22nd of 215 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 38.8% 38.8% 38.8% 10
1990s 35.8% 33.4% 38.8% 10
2000s 36.4% 30.1% 39.3% 10
2010s 39.0% 38.5% 39.4% 10
2020s 37.1% 36.5% 38.2% 5

Countries ranked near Zambia

  1. 19 Qatar 37.7% compare
  2. 20 Oman 37.3% compare
  3. 21 Belize 37.1% compare
  4. 23 Congo 36.1% compare
  5. 24 Lebanon 35.2% compare
  6. 25 Estonia 35.0% compare

See the full ranking of 215 places →

More reference data data for Zambia

All data for Zambia →

Frequently asked questions

What is wealth share of the richest 1% in Zambia?
Wealth share of the richest 1% in Zambia was 36.5% in 2024, according to World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest wealth share of the richest 1% recorded in Zambia?
The highest recorded value was 39.4% in 2015.
What is the lowest wealth share of the richest 1% recorded in Zambia?
The lowest recorded value was 30.1% in 2002.
How does Zambia rank for wealth share of the richest 1%?
Zambia ranks 22nd out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
Is wealth share of the richest 1% rising or falling in Zambia?
Over the last ten years it is down 7.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Zambia data come from?
The figures come from World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Wealth share of the richest 1%. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

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About this data

Indicator
Wealth share of the richest 1%
Unit
%
Source
World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
215 places, 10,553 data points, 1800–2024
Last refreshed

The share of wealth owned by the richest 1% of the population. Wealth is defined as the total value of non-financial and financial assets (housing, land, deposits, bonds, equities, etc.) held by households, minus their debts.