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Zambia’s annual inflation rate for April 2025 remained unchanged at 16.5 percent, the same as recorded in March, indicating that prices of goods and services rose by an average of 16.5 percent between April 2024 and April 2025.
At the same time, the country recorded a trade surplus of K0.6 billion in March 2025, reversing the K0.6 billion trade deficit posted in February 2025.
Speaking during the monthly bulletin dissemination in Lusaka on Thursday, Zambia Statistics Agency (ZamStat) Acting Statistician General, Sheila Mudenda, said food inflation for April stood at 18.7 percent, slightly lower than the 18.9 percent recorded in March.
“This means, on average, prices of food items increased by 18.7 percent year-on-year,” Mudenda said.
She attributed the food inflation to price increases in cereals such as breakfast and roller mealie meal, maize grain, fruits including lemons, bananas, apples, and avocados, as well as vegetables like lumanda, okra, tomatoes, and Irish potatoes.
Non-food inflation rose slightly to 13.4 percent in April from 13.2 percent in March. The increase was driven by higher prices in items such as motor vehicles, air passenger transport, suitcases, and hammer milling services.
In terms of provincial contributions to the overall inflation rate, Lusaka led with 5.1 percentage points, followed by the Copperbelt at 3.6. Central and Southern provinces contributed 2.0 and 1.4 percentage points respectively, while North-Western had the lowest contribution at 0.6 percentage points.
On trade, Mudenda said Zambia’s export earnings rose by 12.5 percent, from K24.9 billion in February to K28 billion in March.
This was largely driven by a 10.6 percent increase in intermediate goods, 33.1 percent in raw materials, 11.9 percent in consumer goods, and 25 percent in capital goods.
Meanwhile, imports rose by 7.9 percent to K27.5 billion in March, due to increases in capital goods (17.6 percent), intermediate goods (5.8 percent), raw materials (15 percent), and consumer goods (2.1 percent).
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