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ZAMBIA MINING SECTOR KEY FIGURES 2025, GDP, FDI, GROWTH

GDP Contribution Share of FDI Stock Sector Growth 2025 2025 Copper Output
15.5% 64.8% +5.6% Over 890,000 Mt

Mining contributed 15.5% to Zambia’s GDP in 2025 and accounts for 64.8% of the country’s entire foreign direct investment stock, more than every other sector combined, anchored by copper production that rose 8% in 2025 to over 890,000 metric tonnes.

Copper remains the swing factor behind Zambia’s growth cycle: 2025 output was driven by a recovery at Konkola Copper Mines, where production surged more than 366% on 2024 levels, and a 40% increase at Mopani Copper Mines, as the government pursues a target of 3 million metric tonnes of annual copper production by 2031.

Sector Size

Mining of metal ores contributed 13.5% of Zambia’s nominal GDP in 2025, with other mining and quarrying activities adding a further 2.0%, for a combined 15.5% of GDP, or ZMW 112.7 billion of the country’s ZMW 725.6 billion total[1]. In real terms, the sector grew 5.6% in 2025[1]. Mining’s economic weight is even more concentrated in investment terms: the sector accounted for 64.8% of the total stock of private sector foreign direct investment in Zambia in 2024, up from 62.9% in 2023, more than every other sector of the economy combined[2].

Copper

Copper production rose 8% in 2025 to over 890,000 metric tonnes, up from approximately 825,000 metric tonnes in 2024, as the industry mounted a structured recovery from years of operational uncertainty and recapitalisation[6]. The gain was led by a remarkable turnaround at Konkola Copper Mines, where output surged more than 366% on 2024 levels, alongside a 40% increase at Mopani Copper Mines and continued production at Kansanshi and Lubambe Copper Mine[6]. Progress toward the government’s one-million-tonne milestone was tempered by a temporary halt at SINO Metals Leach following a tailings dam incident and reduced output at the FQM Trident Mine[6].

The 2025 recovery built on a marked second-half improvement in 2024, when Zambia produced 820,676.34 metric tonnes of copper, up 12% from 732,583.45 metric tonnes in 2023, with production at the Lumwana mine doubling, Konkola Copper Mines and Mopani Copper Mines resuming operations, and the Mimbula Mine coming online, all despite severe drought that cut electricity supply to the industry through the year[3]. The recovery continued into 2026: the Bank of Zambia recorded copper output growing 3.5% in the first quarter of 2026, reversing a 5.5% contraction in the fourth quarter of 2025[4]. Global copper prices eased to USD 12,604.84 per metric tonne in March 2026, down from a record high of USD 13,015.43 at the start of 2025, though the Bank of Zambia still expects a positive medium-term outlook on strengthened prices and expanding domestic output[4].

Two major projects are driving the build-out toward the 2031 target. The USD 600 million Sinomine Kitumba project in Mumbwa moved into active development in 2025, with copper production expected to start in 2026, and includes a 50 megawatt solar plant to power operations and supply surplus energy to the national grid[6]. The USD 1.25 billion Kansanshi S3 Expansion Project is expected to extend the mine’s life by more than two decades and create approximately 1,500 new jobs by increasing milling capacity and recovery rates[6].

Other Minerals

Beyond copper, Zambia’s mineral base spans cobalt, gold, nickel, manganese, zinc, emeralds and coal, each with its own 2024 production trajectory reported by the Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development[3]. Diversification continued through 2025, when gold production rose a further 12%, zinc 25% and coal 28%, while cobalt output rose sharply again, extending the multi-year growth trend evident in the 2024 figures below[6].

Cobalt

Cobalt production rose 581% in 2024, to 1,409 metric tonnes from 207 metric tonnes in 2023, the sharpest increase of any mineral commodity the Ministry tracks[3]. Cobalt is a byproduct of Zambia’s copper mining and a critical input to lithium-ion battery cathodes, positioning the country’s output growth directly against rising global electric vehicle demand[3].

Gold

Gold production rose 40% in 2024, to 3,141.81 kilograms from 2,237 kilograms in 2023[3].

Nickel

Nickel production grew 164% in 2024, to 21,039.55 metric tonnes from 7,979.95 metric tonnes in 2023, another critical mineral tied to battery and stainless steel supply chains[3].

Manganese

Manganese production grew 102% in 2024, to 134,932.48 metric tonnes from 66,692.21 metric tonnes in 2023[3].

Emeralds

Emerald output grew 113% in 2024, to 31,578 kilograms from 14,813 kilograms in 2023, continuing Zambia’s position as one of the world’s leading emerald producing countries alongside Colombia[3].

Zinc

Zinc production fell 70% in 2024, to 52,105.84 metric tonnes from 171,066.24 metric tonnes in 2023, the sharpest decline among the commodities the Ministry tracks[3].

Coal

Coal production fell 75% in 2024, to 174,624.00 metric tonnes from 706,115 metric tonnes in 2023[3]. The decline in domestic coal output sits alongside the broader energy sector’s own pivot toward solar capacity, detailed on the dedicated Energy page[3].

Licensing, Ownership and Regulatory Reform

The Ministry granted 79% more mining and non-mining licences in 2024 than in 2023, with the total rising from 1,218 to 2,175[3]. Artisanal Mining Rights, reserved exclusively for Zambian citizens, more than doubled, from 304 to 680[3]. Of the 2,175 total licences issued in 2024, 1,372, or 63%, had Zambian ownership, and no small-scale exploration or mining licence can be issued without Zambian shareholders[3]. Formalisation continued through 2025, when more than 1,000 artisanal mining rights were granted, a 57% increase on 2024, bringing the total issued since 2023 to more than 1,600, alongside training in safe mining practices and environmental management[6].

The sector’s institutional architecture was overhauled in 2025 and 2026. The Geological and Minerals Development Act No. 2 of 2025 replaced the 2015 framework governing mining regulation, and the Minerals Regulation Commission, established under the Minerals Regulation Commission Act enacted in 2024, became operational in November 2025, centralising licensing, safety, environmental oversight and dispute resolution under a single independent statutory body[6][8]. The Geological and Minerals Development (Local Content) Regulations took effect on January 1, 2026, to increase Zambian company participation in goods and services throughout the mineral value chain[6]. To formalise gold trading, the government is constructing marketing centres in Mumbwa and Rufunsa districts, to be extended to other mining and trading districts, and is forming a dedicated entity to manage the trade in gold exclusively[6][8].

Geological mapping of the country continued under the Country-Wide High Resolution Aerial Geophysical Survey, which had covered 34.0% of the country as of the 2026 Budget Speech and reached the halfway mark by early 2026, with Western and parts of Northwestern provinces already covered and full coverage expected by mid-2026[6][8].

Policy Framework

The Ministry’s policy direction is anchored in the National Mineral Resources Development Policy 2022, which sets a ten-year vision of “a smart, sustainable, diversified and growth-centred mining sector” and commits Government to the 3 million metric tonne copper production target by 2031[7]. The Policy sets twelve objectives, including enhancing geological mapping and exploration, improving transparency and efficiency in licensing, formalising the artisanal and small-scale mining sub-sector, strengthening monitoring of operations and environmental compliance, promoting Zambian ownership and participation in the mineral value chain, promoting value addition, and developing a consultative and competitive mining tax regime, aligned with the African Union’s Africa Mining Vision and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals[7].

The Ministry launched the Zambia Integrated Mining Information System on February 27, 2025, a digital platform built on the government’s Service Bus that consolidates mining licensing and aims to reduce corruption and improve inter-agency coordination[5]. The system is aligned with the National Mineral Resources Development Policy and its target of 3 million metric tonnes of annual copper production by 2031[5].

Investment Opportunities

The USD 600 million Sinomine Kitumba project and the USD 1.25 billion Kansanshi S3 Expansion Project illustrate the scale of capital moving into Zambian copper as the sector targets 3 million metric tonnes of annual production by 2031, a near-fourfold increase on 2025 output[6]. Cobalt, nickel and manganese, all of which more than doubled in output in 2024 and continued rising through 2025, point to Zambia’s broader positioning in the critical minerals feeding global battery and renewable energy supply chains, a priority also identified in the World Bank’s 2025 Zambia Economic Update, which named scaling up production, maximising fiscal potential and adding value through the copper value chain as the country’s three energy transition minerals priorities[3][6][9]. The Zambia Mining and Investment Insaka 2025 attracted more than 1,500 delegates from over 15 countries, while improved compliance with area charges lifted mining-related non-tax revenue collection by nearly 15% in 2025[6].

Last Update: August 2026

References

  1. Zambia Statistics Agency, Final Annual GDP release, sectoral data
  2. Bank of Zambia, Zambia Statistics Agency and Zambia Development Agency, Foreign Private Investment and Investor Perceptions in Zambia, 2025
  3. Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development, Media Statement on the Performance of the Mining Sector in 2024
  4. Bank of Zambia, Monetary Policy Report, May 2026
  5. Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development, Zambia Unveils ZIMIS
  6. Presidential Delivery Unit Zambia, Zambia’s Mining Sector Charts Its Course to 2031, February 2026
  7. Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development, National Mineral Resources Development Policy 2022
  8. Ministry of Finance and National Planning, 2026 Budget Speech
  9. World Bank, Zambia Economic Update: Leveraging Energy Transition Minerals for Economic Transformation, July 2025