Size and trend of bank lending
Commercial banks' loans to agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting grew from K1.62 billion at the end of 2010 to K9.80 billion at the end of 2025, about US$443 million, and to K13.46 billion in August 2026, about US$708 million23. Agriculture's share of bank loans peaked at 23.2% in 2012, fell to 9.5% in 2022 and was 9.5% in 2025 (Annual Report basis), as lending to other sectors grew faster45. The share rose to 12.4% in August 20262.
In dollar terms the stock fell from US$731 million in 2012 to US$264 million in 2023 as the kwacha depreciated, and rose to US$443 million at the end of 2025 and US$708 million in August 2026, as the kwacha stock grew and the kwacha appreciated32. Part of farm credit is in foreign currency. Banks held US$201.8 million of foreign-currency loans to agriculture in August 2026, 8.4% of their foreign-currency lending2. The April 2025 Financial Stability Report shows agro-based borrowers holding 12.4% of foreign-currency loans but 22.5% of non-performing foreign-currency loans6.
| Indicator | Value | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Bank loans to agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting | K13.46 billion (≈US$708 million) | Aug 2026 |
| Bank loans to agriculture | K9.80 billion (≈US$443 million) | Dec 2025 |
| Agriculture's share of bank loans | 12.4% | Aug 2026 |
| Foreign-currency loans to agriculture | US$201.8 million | Aug 2026 |
| Non-performing loans, all banks | 2.8% | Dec 2025 |
| Non-performing loans, agriculture | 3.0% | Dec 2025 |
| Agriculture's share of non-performing loans | 10.2% | Dec 2025 |
| Loans to small and emergent farmers (banks and non-banks) | K1,534 million | Q1 2026 |
| Policy rate | 10.75% | Oct 2026 |
| Average lending rate, retail / non-retail | 27.33% / 21.47% | Oct 2026 |
| Formal financial inclusion, adults / rural adults | 76.4% / 66.8% | 2025 |
| Account ownership, adults 15+ | 72.7% | 2024 |
Who borrows and loan quality
The Bank of Zambia's credit market data, which cover banks and non-bank lenders, show K8.49 billion of loans outstanding to large farms and K1.39 billion to small and emergent farmers (up to 50 hectares, large farms being over 50 hectares) at the end of 20251. The National Financial Inclusion Strategy notes that only 11% of the small and emergent segment received formal credit in the fourth quarter of 2022 and that nearly 90% of institutional agricultural credit went to a small number of large firms21.
Loan quality in agriculture weakened in 2016–2020. The sector's non-performing loan ratio rose above 25% in 2017–2020, and agriculture accounted for 40.4% of all bad loans in 202022232412. The ratio then fell to 3.0% in 2025, close to the 2.8% average for all loans, and agriculture's share of bad loans fell to 10.2%5. Among small and emergent farmers the ratio fell from 29.0% at the end of 2017 to 3.4% at the end of 2025 and was 5.3% in March 20261.
| Year | NPL ratio, all loans | Agriculture share of loans | Agriculture share of NPLs | NPL ratio, agriculture |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 14.8 | 17.3 | 25.3 | 21.8 |
| 2011 | 10.4 | 17.9 | 15.7 | 9.1 |
| 2012 | 8.1 | 23.2 | 12.9 | 4.6 |
| 2013 | 7.0 | 20.2 | 10.8 | 3.8 |
| 2014 | 6.1 | 16.6 | 22.0 | 8.1 |
| 2015 | 7.3 | 17.3 | 20.8 | 8.7 |
| 2016 | 9.7 | 17.0 | 26.7 | 15.2 |
| 2017 | 12.0 | – | 32.7 | 26.7 |
| 2018 | 11.0 | 16.8 | 32.4 | 28.3 |
| 2019 | 8.9 | 16.3 | 36.0 | 25.7 |
| 2020 | 11.6 | 16.0 | 40.4 | 30.4 |
| 2021 | 5.8 | 11.5 | 24.6 | 12.5 |
| 2022 | 5.0 | 9.5 | 15.8 | 8.3 |
| 2023 | 4.2 | 9.7 | 15.2 | 6.6 |
| 2024 | 4.1 | 10.2 | 11.3 | 4.5 |
| 2025 | 2.8 | 9.5 | 10.2 | 3.0 |
Interest rates, refinancing and public credit
The Bank of Zambia raised its policy rate from 9.0% in 2022 to 14.5% in February 2025, cut it to 14.25% on 12 November 2025 and then in three steps in 2026 to 10.75% from 30 September3218. It also raised the statutory reserve ratio to 26.0% in February 2024 and lowered the kwacha ratio to 21.0% in August 20262833. Lending rates remain high, with average retail rates of 27.33% and non-retail rates of 21.47% on 2 October 20262. Credit to the private sector was 19.2% of GDP in 202534.
The central bank has twice refinanced lending to priority sectors. A K10 billion Targeted Medium-Term Refinancing Facility opened in April 2020, and a K5.0 billion Stability and Resilience Facility, about US$179 million at the end-2024 rate, opened in December 2024 for agriculture and businesses hit by power shortages, with K3,528.0 million disbursed by the end of 2025122853. The government's Sustainable Agriculture Financing Facility, launched in November 2023, had lent K777.3 million to 8,841 farmers by June 2025, and the 2026 budget allocates K851.7 million to the Zambia Credit Guarantee Scheme, which includes the facility3536.
Development finance institutions play a limited role. The Bank of Zambia took possession of the Development Bank of Zambia on 21 July 2023, and the Bank of Zambia's 2025 Annual Report recorded it as not operational275. The Citizens Economic Empowerment Commission reports more than K766.4 million of mechanisation, agro-processing and irrigation finance to 1,462 farmers since 202237. Zanaco held K711.5 million of agricultural loans at the end of 2025, 2.9% of its loan book38.
| Facility | Launched | Size | Terms | Use and status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Targeted Medium-Term Refinancing Facility | April 2020 | K10 billion | Priced at the policy rate, up to 5 years, 60% for priority sectors including agriculture | 23 approvals worth K7.8 billion and K3.3 billion drawn by end-2020, balance K4,129.5 million at end-2025 |
| Stability and Resilience Facility | 30 December 2024 | K5.0 billion | Up to 7 years, 24-month moratorium, policy rate minus 1 point (minus 3 points for green loans) | For agriculture and businesses hit by power shortages after the drought, K3,528.0 million of principal disbursed by end-2025 |
| Date | Change | Level |
|---|---|---|
| February 2023 | +2.5 points (kwacha and foreign-currency deposits) | 11.5% |
| November 2023 | +5.5 points | 17.0% |
| 5 February 2024 | +9.0 points | 26.0% |
| 3 August 2026 | Kwacha ratio −5.0 points, foreign-currency ratio unchanged | 21.0% kwacha, 26.0% foreign currency |
| Item | Value | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Projects funded, all sectors | K187.7 million, 33,688 projects | 2022 |
| Agricultural mechanisation | K27.5 million, 21 projects | 2022 |
| Agro-processing | K7.8 million, 6 projects | 2022 |
| Total disbursed, all sectors | over K673 million, 48,248 beneficiaries | 2023 |
| Loans funded, all sectors | K839.6 million, 82,068 loans, 70% recovery | Aug 2022 – Dec 2023 |
| Support to farmers (mechanisation, agro-processing, irrigation) | over K766.4 million, 1,462 farmers | 2022 – Aug 2026 |
Insurance, inclusion and credit infrastructure
A weather index insurance cover was added to the input programme in 2016, and in 2024 and 2025 the Pensions and Insurance Authority reported hybrid index insurance for more than one million farmers under the programme214748. Agricultural insurance outreach reached 1,024,434 farmers in 2023, and for the 2023/24 drought insured farmers received payouts of more than K900 million, while the government received K250 million (US$9.9 million) from African Risk Capacity2147. Claims paid by the insurance industry rose by 111% in 2024 to K8.0 billion, mainly because of agricultural payouts47. Gross premiums of the whole industry were K10.56 billion in 2025, 1.45% of GDP, and agricultural premiums are not published separately48. The Green Climate Fund approved US$25 million in March 2026 to develop a market-based agricultural insurance sector49.
Financial inclusion has risen. FinScope surveys show formal inclusion of adults rising from 23.1% in 2009 to 76.4% in 2025, and from 18.0% to 66.8% in rural areas5019. Global Findex shows 72.7% of adults with an account in 2024, while only 6.6% borrowed from a formal institution2051. The Movable Property (Security Interest) Act of 2016 created a collateral registry, operated by PACRA since 2017, which allows movable assets to be used as collateral5253. A single credit reference bureau operated at the end of 2025 under the Credit Reporting Act of 2018554.
| Type | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deposit-taking microfinance institutions | 7 | 7 | 6 |
| Consumer-lending microfinance institutions | 25 | 23 | 22 |
| Enterprise-lending microfinance institutions | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Credit reference bureaus | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Net loans of non-bank financial institutions (ZMW billion) | 4.9 | 6.7 | 8.7 |
| NPL ratio of non-bank financial institutions (%) | 6.4 | 8.6 | 10.2 |
Sources cited on this page
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