Zambia
Background
The primary agency for anti-human trafficking activities in Zambia is the Anti-Human Trafficking Services of the Ministry of Home Affairs and Internal Security which supports the National Committee on Human Trafficking Secretariat.
The Zambian government passed a National Policy on Human Trafficking and Smuggling of Migrants in 2022 which is vaild until 2030.
The Zambian government estimated the cost of implementation of the National Policy to be Zambian Kwacha 69,590,000 (US$3,990,000).
In 2025, the Ministry of Home Affairs and Internal Security budgeted Zambian Kwacha 5,238,741 (US$300,000) in 2025 for anti-human trafficking services. We will confirm whether this was implemented in 2026.
In 2025, the Ministry of Home Affairs and Internal Security targeted human trafficking operations.
In their 2022 report, the Zambian Financial Intelligence Centre notes offences are being perpetrated by foreigners and Zambian nationals and that most of the East African nationals were in transit to South Africa while the Asian nationals were used as sex workers in casinos around the country.
In 2023, the government conducted a National Survey on Trafficking in Persons which is a comprehensive review of actions and achievements between 2005 and 2022.
Other Key Factors
In 2024, the U.S. Department of State’s awarded a $4 million multi-year grant to execute an action plan alongside Zambian ministries.
Freedom of association and collective bargaining are lawful and active in Zambia but face much opposition.
There is indication of wage theft in Zambia but limited data.
To understand Zambia’s situation more fully, we show the percentage of the population using the internet in Zambia, along with the highest usage and lowest usage countries amongst the G20 members (Saudi Arabia and India).
Zambia remittances are also shown with the respective highest and lowest inflow remittance countries in the G20 (India/Saudi Arabia) and the highest and lowest outflow countries in the G20 (US/Philippines). Keep in mind that remittance estimates are often an under count of actual remittance volume.(Graph unit is in Billion US$)
Zambia’s Role in the Global Economy and Its Supply Chains
Trade flows from The Observatory of Economic Complexity
Zambia’s Plan for Prevention
Zambia’s Budget for Implementing the National Plan and Related Activities
From 2021-2025, Zambia disclosed funding for anti-human trafficking and exploitation spending under a bigger Social Welfare departmental budget (totaling $83,345,722 ZMW in 2025 or $3,331,329 USD), but because we could not obtain further details about which portion of the budget from Social Welfare went to anti-exploitation related programs specifically, we are not displaying any relevant budget in this section.