LUSAKA, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- Zambia's economy grew by 3.6 percent in the third quarter of 2025, up from 2.7 percent recorded in the same period last year, the Zambia Statistics Agency said on Wednesday.

Sheila Mudenda, acting statistician-general, told a monthly press briefing in the capital city of Lusaka that the growth was driven by strong performance in sectors such as information and communication, which contributed 2.5 percentage points to overall growth.

Meanwhile, transport and storage contributed 1.0 percentage point, while agriculture, forestry, and fishing contributed 0.6 percentage point.

However, Mudenda said, wholesale and retail trade, financial and insurance activities, and other service activities had a negative impact on economic growth during the period.

Year-over-year inflation rose to 11.2 percent in December, up from 10.9 percent in the previous year, she said, attributing the surge mainly to changes in non-food item prices. ■