Africa & Middle East

Zambia

Political journey

Independent from Britain in 1964, Zambia was led by Kenneth Kaunda for 27 years before multiparty elections in 1991. Copper made it rich and later heavily indebted, and it defaulted on its debt in 2020. President Hakainde Hichilema, elected in 2021 after years as an opposition leader, restructured the debt but has been criticized for curbs on critics.

Zambia today

Its current leader’s position on the ten Caucus dimensions.

💰EconomyStrongly free market
State-ledFree market
⚖️Liberty and authorityLeaning authoritarian
LibertarianAuthoritarian
🎭CultureStrongly traditional
ProgressiveTraditional
🌍NationSlightly nationalist
GlobalistNationalist
🌱EnvironmentCentered on environment
Growth-firstNature-first
🤖TechnologyLeaning tech-optimist
Tech-cautiousTech-optimist
🕊️War and peaceCentered on war and peace
Peace-firstStrength-first
🏛️InstitutionsLeaning institutional
Anti-establishmentInstitutional
🙏ReligionStrongly religious
SecularReligious
🛡️InterventionismCentered on interventionism
Non-interventionistInterventionist

Who leads Zambia today

Portrait of Hakainde Hichilema

Hakainde Hichilema

President of Zambia, 2021 to present

A businessman and long-time opposition leader who won in 2021 on a promise to fix the economy, restructured Zambia’s debt and has been criticized for curbs on critics.

Hakainde Hichilema sits in the right-authoritarian part of the Caucus economy and liberty compass: strongly free market and leaning authoritarian. The clearest positions are strongly free market on economy, strongly traditional on culture and strongly religious on religion. The profile is close to the middle on environment, war and peace and interventionism.

Full profile of Hakainde Hichilema →

Political views closest to Zambia’s leadership

Liberal conservatismCombines free markets and limited government with respect for institutions, tradition…97%Christian democracyBlends Christian social teaching, a social market economy and European cooperation.97%Fiscal conservatismPrioritizes low taxes, balanced budgets and limited public debt.95%OrdoliberalismFavors competitive markets protected by firm rules and a strong state, the basis of…95%

Countries with similar leadership

Ranked by how close their current leaders are on the ten dimensions.

GambiaAfrica & Middle East99%IraqAfrica & Middle East99%JamaicaAmericas99%LiberiaAfrica & Middle East99%

Country histories are short summaries. Positions are simplified estimates of the leaders included in Caucus as of October 2026, and percentages show how close two profiles are across all ten dimensions.