USD to ZMW Exchange Rate History — Zambia
Over the past 90 days, the USD to Zambian Kwacha parallel (black market) rate moved from about 18.74 ZMW on Jul 20, 2026 to 18.68 ZMW on Jul 21, 2026 — a change of -0.3%. Across that window the Zambian Kwacha held broadly steady against the dollar, trading between a low of 18.58 and a high of 18.75 ZMW, averaging 18.63 ZMW per US dollar.
As a copper exporter, Zambia's kwacha rises and falls with metal prices, and the street rate reacts faster than the official one.
How to read the ZMW rate history
The chart plots the parallel buy rate — how many ZMW it took to buy one US dollar — at each point we recorded. The daily table below lists the closing buy and sell rate for each day, while the monthly table summarises the average, high and low for each month, which is useful for comparing one period with another.
A rising line means the Zambian Kwacha is losing value (more ZMW per dollar); a falling line means it is gaining. Over this window the spread between the high (18.75) and the low (18.58) shows how volatile the market has been — here, roughly 0.3% around the average.
What has moved the Zambian Kwacha recently?
In Zambia, the parallel rate is driven by factors such as copper-price swings, debt-restructuring dynamics, dollar demand. When dollars become scarcer or confidence falls, the street rate climbs ahead of the official Bank of Zambia (BoZ) rate; when supply improves or policy tightens, the gap can narrow again.
Because the parallel rate often moves before official devaluations, its history is a useful early-warning record — a steadily rising trend frequently precedes an official adjustment, while a long plateau suggests relative stability.
Using historical ZMW rates
Historical rates help with budgeting, invoicing, remittance planning and spotting trends, but they are not a forecast — past movements do not guarantee future ones. For the live rate, see our main USD to ZMW page, and use the converter for exact amounts.
All figures are aggregated from P2P platforms, community reports and market monitoring, then refreshed hourly. They are provided for information and price-transparency only and are not financial advice.