Zimbabwe: Exports of goods and services (% of GDP)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Zimbabwe's exports of goods and services (% of GDP) rose 0.94 percentage points on 2023 (from 17.12% to 18.06%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was −0.45 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 5.82 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 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 10.16 percentage points in 2010 and the biggest yearly fall was 21.99 percentage points in 2009. 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 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 23% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

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 27th highest value of the 33 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

• Japan — 24th of 33: 21.98%
• Bolivia — 25th of 33: 21.44%
• French Polynesia — 26th of 33: 18.32%
• Tonga — 28th of 33: 16.9%
• New Caledonia — 29th of 33: 11.69%
• Tajikistan — 30th of 33: 11.21%

What this measures

Exports of goods includes changes in the economic ownership of goods from residents of the compiling economy to non-residents, irrespective of physical movement of goods across national borders. Exports of services includes services provided by residents to non-residents. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.

Limitations: Because policymakers have tended to focus on fostering the growth of output, and because data on production are easier to collect than data on spending, many countries generate their primary estimate of GDP using the production approach. Moreover, many countries do not estimate all the components of national expenditures but instead derive some of the main aggregates indirectly using GDP (based on the production approach) as the control total. Data on exports and imports are compiled from customs reports and balance of payments data.

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

All 50 values

Exports of goods and services (% of GDP) in nearby economies

• Angola — 22.98% (2025)
• Benin — 17.05% (2025)
• Botswana — 32.03% (2025)
• Burkina Faso — 34.99% (2025)
• Cabo Verde — 41.98% (2025)
• Cameroon — 13.09% (2025)
• Central African Republic — 19.34% (2025)
• Chad — 29.41% (2025)
• Comoros — 9.3% (2025)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 43.42% (2025)

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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• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Zimbabwe's exports of goods and services (% of GDP)?

18.06% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1975?

It is down 4.71 percentage points from 22.76% in 1975. The highest value was 43.39% in 1998 and the lowest 14.99% in 2020.

How does Zimbabwe rank?

27th highest of 33 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in exports of goods and services (% of GDP) unusual for Zimbabwe?

In 2024, Zimbabwe's exports of goods and services (% of GDP) rose 0.94 percentage points on 2023 (from 17.12% to 18.06%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was −0.45 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 5.82 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 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 NE.EXP.GNFS.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Country official statistics, National Statistical Offices (NSOs); National Accounts data files, Central Banks; Staff estimates, 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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