Zimbabwe: Debt service to exports (%)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Zimbabwe's debt service to exports (%) fell 0.56 percentage points on 2023 (from 2.27% to 1.71%).

Across the 27 yearly changes before that (1982 to 2023), the average change was +0.6 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 5.87 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations below 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 24.09 percentage points in 1983 and the biggest yearly fall was 10.12 percentage points in 1984. 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 0.36 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 46% 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 96th highest value of the 100 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

• Djibouti — 92nd of 100: 2.03%
• China — 93rd of 100: 1.93%
• Cambodia — 94th of 100: 1.72%
• Kosovo — 96th of 100: 1.67%
• Viet Nam — 97th of 100: 1.36%
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 98th of 100: 1.3%

What this measures

Debt service, the sum of principal repayments and interest actually paid in currency, goods, or services, is expressed as a percentage of exports of goods and services--all transactions between residents of a country and the rest of the world involving a change of ownership from residents to nonresidents of general merchandise, net exports of goods under merchanting, nonmonetary gold, and services. This series differs from the standard debt to exports series in that it covers only long-term public and publicly guaranteed debt and repayments (repurchases and charges) to the IMF.

All 30 values

Debt service to exports (%) in nearby economies

• Angola — 27.64% (2024)
• Benin — 16.44% (2023)
• Botswana — 4.53% (2024)
• Burkina Faso — 4.62% (2024)
• Burundi — 9.36% (2024)
• Cabo Verde — 10.8% (2024)
• Cameroon — 17.27% (2024)
• Comoros — 11.54% (2023)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 1.3% (2024)
• Congo, Rep. — 6.31% (2021)
• Côte d'Ivoire — 21.71% (2024)
• Eswatini

More economic policy & debt data for Zimbabwe

• Gross Value Added (GVA) at basic prices (current US$) — US$48.51 billion (2025)
• Gross Value Added (GVA) at basic prices (current LCU) — 1.54 trillion (2025)
• GDP (current US$) — US$51.22 billion (2025)
• GDP (current LCU) — 1.63 trillion (2025)
• GDP (constant 2015 US$) — US$25.48 billion (2025)
• GDP (constant LCU) — 74.26 billion (2025)
• GDP per capita (current US$) — US$3,021 (2025)
• GDP per capita (current LCU) — 96,071 (2025)
• GDP per capita (constant 2015 US$) — US$1,503 (2025)
• GDP per capita (constant LCU) — 4,381 (2025)
• GNI (current US$)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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Questions people ask

What is Zimbabwe's debt service to exports (%)?

1.71% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1981?

It is down 2.27 percentage points from 3.98% in 1981. The highest value was 33.17% in 1983 and the lowest 0.46% in 2011.

How does Zimbabwe rank?

96th highest of 100 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in debt service to exports (%) unusual for Zimbabwe?

In 2024, Zimbabwe's debt service to exports (%) fell 0.56 percentage points on 2023 (from 2.27% to 1.71%). Across the 27 yearly changes before that (1982 to 2023), the average change was +0.6 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 5.87 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations below 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 DT.TDS.DPPF.XP.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB) 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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