Equity risk premium of Zambia
The equity risk premium of Zambia is 14.88% (as of 28 Oct 2026).
- Mature market 3.22%
- Zambia 11.66%
The breakdown
| Part | Value | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Mature market premium | 3.2230% | Observed |
| Country default spread | 7.6500% | Published table |
| Volatility ratio | 1.5242 | Table premium divided by table spread |
| Country risk premium | 11.6600% | Published table |
| Total equity risk premium | 14.8830% | Our mature premium plus published table |
Observed means worked out from market or official data. Published table means taken from a public country risk table.
How each part was found
We do not work out a default spread for Zambia ourselves. It and the country risk premium come from Aswath Damodaran's country risk table (NYU Stern), the January 2026 edition. The volatility ratio is that premium divided by that spread.
The total is our mature market premium plus the table's country premium.
The table changes only when its author publishes a new one. Its country premiums are measured from its own base, so totals for table countries can run slightly high.
Where Zambia stands
Zambia is joint 19th of 175 countries by equity risk premium, counted from the highest.
Among the 155 countries whose totals come from the published table, Zambia is joint 19th.
The median for the 42 countries in Africa is 12.28%, and totals there run from 5.29% (Botswana) to 29.88% (Sudan). Zambia is 2.60 points above that median.
At 14.88%, that is 4.62 times the mature market premium of 3.22%.
The closest countries by total are the Congo (14.88%), Ethiopia (14.88%) and Gabon (14.88%).
How it is calculated
Total premium = mature market premium + country premium.
For Zambia the country premium is the published table's own figure, shown in the breakdown above.
Use it in a cost of equity calculation
Cost of equity = risk-free rate + beta x equity risk premium. With made-up inputs of a 4.00% risk-free rate and a beta of 1.2, a company earning in Zambia has a cost of equity of 4.00% + 1.2 x 14.88% = 21.86%.
The figures are in US dollar terms. For another currency, add the inflation difference between the two currencies.
Get it by API or MCP
GET /v1/economics/ZMB/equity-risk-premium
{ "country": "ZMB", "as_of": "2026-10-28",
"country_risk_premium": "11.6600", "total_erp": "14.8830",
"basis": { "total_erp": "table", ... } }
MCP: economics_get_equity_risk_premium { "country": "ZMB" }Latest figure, history and every country, free with an API key.
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Common questions
What is the equity risk premium of Zambia?
The equity risk premium of Zambia is 14.88% (as of 28 Oct 2026), the extra return investors expect from shares over a risk-free government bond.
How is the country risk premium of Zambia worked out?
It is taken from Aswath Damodaran's country risk table (NYU Stern), which we cite and link on this page. The country premium is 11.66% and the total is 14.88%.
Which equity risk premium should I use for Zambia?
For a company whose cash flows are mostly earned in Zambia, use 14.88%. For one earning in several countries, weight each country's premium by where its cash flows come from.
How often is it updated?
Every month. Each figure carries its date, and earlier dates stay in the history endpoint.