Zimbabwe: Computer, communications and other services (% of commercial service exports)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Zimbabwe's computer, communications and other services (% of commercial service exports) rose 3.75 percentage points on 2023 (from 6.43% to 10.18%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1979 to 2023), the average change was −0.71 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 14.84 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 55.66 percentage points in 1985 and the biggest yearly fall was 47.94 percentage points in 1986. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is downward, about 1.74 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 48% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2024, Zimbabwe had the 18th highest value of the 29 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Zimbabwe in the 2024 ranking

• Solomon Islands — 15th of 29: 27.41%
• Côte d'Ivoire — 16th of 29: 21.12%
• Marshall Islands — 17th of 29: 20.17%
• Djibouti — 19th of 29: 9.56%
• Tanzania — 20th of 29: 6.99%
• Ethiopia — 21st of 29: 5.37%

What this measures

Computer, communications and other services include such activities as international telecommunications, and postal and courier services; computer data; news-related service transactions between residents and nonresidents; construction services; royalties and license fees; miscellaneous business, professional, and technical services; and personal, cultural, and recreational services. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of service exports which are commercial services provided by residents to non-residents.

Limitations: Balance of payments statistics, the main source of information on international trade in services, have many weaknesses. Disaggregation of important components may be limited and varies considerably across countries. There are inconsistencies in the methods used to report items. And the recording of major flows as net items is common (for example, insurance transactions are often recorded as premiums less claims). These factors contribute to a downward bias in the value of the service trade reported in the balance of payments. Efforts are being made to improve the coverage, quality, and consistency of these data.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 34 values

Computer, communications and other services (% of commercial service exports) in nearby economies

• Angola — 63.3% (2025)
• Benin — 4.36% (2023)
• Botswana — 36.08% (2025)
• Burkina Faso — 40.79% (2024)
• Burundi — 72.28% (2025)
• Cabo Verde — 8.28% (2025)
• Cameroon — 47.31% (2024)
• Comoros — 14.88% (2023)

More private sector & trade data for Zimbabwe

• Merchandise trade (% of GDP) — 38.7% (2025)
• Merchandise imports (current US$) — US$10.11 billion (2025)
• Merchandise exports (current US$) — US$9.71 billion (2025)
• Import unit value index (2015 = 100) — 139.8 (2025)
• Merchandise imports from high-income economies (% of total merchandise imports) — 8.71% (2023)
• Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside region (% of total merchandise imports) — 27.05% (2023)
• Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in Sub-Saharan Africa (% of total merchandise imports) — 64.24% (2023)
• Merchandise imports by the reporting economy, residual (% of total merchandise imports)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Zimbabwe's computer, communications and other services (% of commercial service exports)?

10.18% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1977?

It is down 14.51 percentage points from 24.69% in 1977. The highest value was 69.87% in 1985 and the lowest 3.51% in 2022.

How does Zimbabwe rank?

18th highest of 29 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in computer, communications and other services (% of commercial service exports) unusual for Zimbabwe?

In 2024, Zimbabwe's computer, communications and other services (% of commercial service exports) rose 3.75 percentage points on 2023 (from 6.43% to 10.18%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1979 to 2023), the average change was −0.71 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 14.84 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator TX.VAL.OTHR.ZS.WT, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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