Summary
- Exports
- $8billion
- Imports
- $9.6billion
- Trade balance
- -$1.6billion
Products
What it exports
Gold (31.4%) and raw tobacco (17.1%) together make up 48.5% of its exports.
What it imports
Refined petroleum (17.3%) and corn (6.3%) together make up 23.6% of its imports.
Its products
Destinations and sources of its products that have their own page.
By Harmonized System chapter (96)
| Chapter | Exports | Imports |
|---|---|---|
| 71 · Gems and precious metals | $2.9 billion | $832 thousand |
| 24 · Tobacco | $1.4 billion | $60 million |
| 75 · Nickel | $986 million | $25 thousand |
| 26 · Ores and slag | $674 million | $1 million |
| 25 · Salt, stone and cement | $671 million | $140 million |
| 72 · Iron and steel | $474 million | $251 million |
| 27 · Oil, gas and coal | $233 million | $2 billion |
| 08 · Fruit and nuts | $138 million | $8 million |
| 41 · Hides and leather | $99 million | $2 million |
| 17 · Sugar and sweets | $60 million | $36 million |
| 09 · Coffee, tea and spices | $30 million | $3 million |
| 52 · Cotton | $27 million | $7 million |
| 84 · Mechanical machinery | $20 million | $1.2 billion |
| 10 · Cereals | $17 million | $941 million |
| 85 · Electrical and electronic equipment | $17 million | $575 million |
| 48 · Paper and paperboard | $14 million | $174 million |
| 64 · Footwear | $12 million | $12 million |
| 20 · Preserved fruit and vegetables | $12 million | $21 million |
| 19 · Baked goods and cereal products | $12 million | $56 million |
| 44 · Wood | $11 million | $42 million |
| 06 · Live plants and flowers | $11 million | $5 million |
| 62 · Woven clothing | $11 million | $8 million |
| 07 · Vegetables | $10 million | $31 million |
| 69 · Ceramics | $10 million | $71 million |
| 03 · Fish and seafood | $9 million | $19 million |
| 73 · Iron and steel products | $9 million | $280 million |
| 68 · Stone, plaster and cement articles | $8 million | $37 million |
| 39 · Plastics | $8 million | $375 million |
| 12 · Oilseeds and grains | $8 million | $94 million |
| 21 · Food preparations | $7 million | $81 million |
| 76 · Aluminum | $6 million | $39 million |
| 04 · Dairy, eggs and honey | $6 million | $25 million |
| 30 · Pharmaceuticals | $6 million | $190 million |
| 97 · Art and antiques | $5 million | $141 thousand |
| 22 · Beverages and spirits | $5 million | $40 million |
| 88 · Aircraft and spacecraft | $4 million | $31 million |
| 34 · Soap and cleaning products | $4 million | $68 million |
| 86 · Railway equipment | $4 million | $14 million |
| 01 · Live animals | $4 million | $13 million |
| 87 · Vehicles | $4 million | $697 million |
| 23 · Animal feed and food waste | $4 million | $87 million |
| 32 · Dyes, paints and tanning agents | $4 million | $29 million |
| 78 · Lead | $3 million | $208 thousand |
| 33 · Perfumes and cosmetics | $3 million | $83 million |
| 15 · Fats and oils | $3 million | $300 million |
| 13 · Gums and plant extracts | $2 million | $884 thousand |
| 94 · Furniture and lighting | $2 million | $59 million |
| 61 · Knitted clothing | $2 million | $6 million |
| 11 · Milling products and malt | $2 million | $7 million |
| 56 · Felt, nonwovens and rope | $2 million | $6 million |
| 90 · Precision and medical instruments | $2 million | $103 million |
| 38 · Miscellaneous chemicals | $1 million | $189 million |
| 74 · Copper | $1 million | $21 million |
| 28 · Inorganic chemicals | $1 million | $121 million |
| 49 · Books and printed matter | $969 thousand | $15 million |
| 42 · Leather goods and bags | $909 thousand | $1 million |
| 29 · Organic chemicals | $836 thousand | $57 million |
| 83 · Miscellaneous metal goods | $690 thousand | $25 million |
| 95 · Toys and sports gear | $684 thousand | $6 million |
| 31 · Fertilizers | $599 thousand | $346 million |
| 89 · Ships and boats | $593 thousand | $2 million |
| 47 · Wood pulp | $462 thousand | $1 million |
| 63 · Home textiles and used clothing | $444 thousand | $36 million |
| 82 · Tools and cutlery | $437 thousand | $31 million |
| 05 · Other animal products | $393 thousand | $2 million |
| 14 · Other plant products | $382 thousand | $20 thousand |
| 40 · Rubber | $267 thousand | $109 million |
| 55 · Synthetic staple fibers | $230 thousand | $35 million |
| 70 · Glass | $200 thousand | $34 million |
| 46 · Wicker and basketware | $199 thousand | $277 thousand |
| 96 · Other manufactured goods | $195 thousand | $8 million |
| 65 · Hats | $177 thousand | $5 million |
| 54 · Synthetic filaments | $106 thousand | $15 million |
| 35 · Glues, starches and enzymes | $102 thousand | $23 million |
| 43 · Fur and fur goods | $96 thousand | $16 thousand |
| 60 · Knitted fabric | $53 thousand | $4 million |
| 53 · Other plant fibers | $37 thousand | $2 million |
| 58 · Special fabrics and lace | $30 thousand | $1 million |
| 93 · Weapons and ammunition | $11 thousand | $8 million |
| 57 · Carpets and rugs | $8 thousand | $3 million |
| 91 · Watches and clocks | $7 thousand | $913 thousand |
| 18 · Cocoa and chocolate | $6 thousand | $5 million |
| 02 · Meat and offal | $2 thousand | $14 million |
| 59 · Coated and technical textiles | $2 thousand | $10 million |
| 67 · Feathers and artificial flowers | $2 thousand | $7 million |
| 92 · Musical instruments | $2 thousand | $259 thousand |
| 80 · Tin | $954 | $112 thousand |
| 51 · Wool | $550 | $20 thousand |
| 66 · Umbrellas and canes | $492 | $623 thousand |
| 50 · Silk | $439 | $2 thousand |
| 45 · Cork | $38 | $16 thousand |
| 16 · Prepared meat and fish | $36 | $4 million |
| 37 · Photographic goods | $30 | $9 million |
| 36 · Explosives and matches | $0 | $60 million |
| 81 · Other base metals | $0 | $473 thousand |
| 79 · Zinc | $0 | $368 thousand |
Trading partners
Its main destination is the United Arab Emirates (34% of exports) and its main source is South Africa (39.2% of imports).
Who it sells to
| Partner | Value (USD billions) | Share | Mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Arab EmiratesTrade with the United Arab Emirates | 2.7 | 34% | Air |
| ChinaTrade with China | 2.1 | 26.6% | Sea |
| South AfricaTrade with South Africa | 1.4 | 17.3% | Land |
| Mozambique | 0.25 | 3.1% | Land |
| Zambia | 0.17 | 2.1% | Land |
| Indonesia | 0.12 | 1.6% | Sea |
| India | 0.11 | 1.4% | Air |
| Belgium | 0.11 | 1.4% | Air |
| Germany | 0.1 | 1.3% | Sea |
| France | 0.08 | 0.99% | Air |
Who it buys from
| Partner | Value (USD billions) | Share | Mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| South AfricaTrade with South Africa | 3.8 | 39.2% | Land |
| ChinaTrade with China | 1.4 | 14.9% | Sea |
| Bahamas | 0.73 | 7.6% | Sea |
| Mozambique | 0.41 | 4.3% | Land |
| Singapore | 0.34 | 3.5% | Sea |
| Zambia | 0.31 | 3.3% | Land |
| United Arab EmiratesTrade with the United Arab Emirates | 0.3 | 3.2% | Sea |
| Bahrain | 0.28 | 2.9% | Sea |
| Mauritius | 0.2 | 2.1% | Sea |
| India | 0.2 | 2.1% | Sea |
Overview 1995–2024
In 2024, Zimbabwe accounted for 0.04% of world exports, compared with 0.04% in 1995.
Exports and imports
Exports quadrupled since 1995
USD billions (current). Bars: trade balance (green surplus, red deficit).
- Exports 8
- Imports 9.6
- Balance -1.6
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Year | Exports | Imports | Trade balance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | $2.1 billion | $2.7 billion | -$634 million |
| 1996 | $1.9 billion | $2.2 billion | -$319 million |
| 1997 | $2.1 billion | $2.1 billion | -$8 million |
| 1998 | $1.8 billion | $1.8 billion | -$10 million |
| 1999 | $1.9 billion | $1.5 billion | $372 million |
| 2000 | $2.3 billion | $2.1 billion | $199 million |
| 2001 | $2.2 billion | $1.6 billion | $664 million |
| 2002 | $2.4 billion | $2.2 billion | $160 million |
| 2003 | $2.2 billion | $1.5 billion | $715 million |
| 2004 | $2.6 billion | $2.8 billion | -$211 million |
| 2005 | $2.7 billion | $2.5 billion | $225 million |
| 2006 | $3.9 billion | $2.3 billion | $1.6 billion |
| 2007 | $3.3 billion | $3 billion | $305 million |
| 2008 | $2.6 billion | $2.1 billion | $454 million |
| 2009 | $2.1 billion | $5.6 billion | -$3.5 billion |
| 2010 | $2.8 billion | $5.5 billion | -$2.7 billion |
| 2011 | $3.6 billion | $6.4 billion | -$2.8 billion |
| 2012 | $4.2 billion | $7.2 billion | -$3 billion |
| 2013 | $4 billion | $6.4 billion | -$2.5 billion |
| 2014 | $3.7 billion | $6.2 billion | -$2.6 billion |
| 2015 | $3.2 billion | $6.2 billion | -$3 billion |
| 2016 | $3.1 billion | $5.5 billion | -$2.4 billion |
| 2017 | $3.9 billion | $5.2 billion | -$1.4 billion |
| 2018 | $4.7 billion | $6.7 billion | -$2 billion |
| 2019 | $4.3 billion | $5 billion | -$691 million |
| 2020 | $5.2 billion | $5.8 billion | -$656 million |
| 2021 | $7.7 billion | $7.7 billion | -$61 million |
| 2022 | $8.7 billion | $8.9 billion | -$221 million |
| 2023 | $9.1 billion | $9.4 billion | -$239 million |
| 2024 | $8 billion | $9.6 billion | -$1.6 billion |
World rank
Zimbabwe fell from 88th to 114th among the world's exporters
Rank among 222 countries by export value (1st at the top).
- 88th in 1995
- 114th in 2024
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Year | Rank |
|---|---|
| 1995 | 88th |
| 1996 | 97th |
| 1997 | 96th |
| 1998 | 101st |
| 1999 | 99th |
| 2000 | 103rd |
| 2001 | 103rd |
| 2002 | 101st |
| 2003 | 110th |
| 2004 | 111th |
| 2005 | 116th |
| 2006 | 115th |
| 2007 | 119th |
| 2008 | 127th |
| 2009 | 128th |
| 2010 | 124th |
| 2011 | 127th |
| 2012 | 122nd |
| 2013 | 125th |
| 2014 | 126th |
| 2015 | 124th |
| 2016 | 127th |
| 2017 | 123rd |
| 2018 | 123rd |
| 2019 | 125th |
| 2020 | 116th |
| 2021 | 111th |
| 2022 | 111th |
| 2023 | 108th |
| 2024 | 114th |
What it sells
Gems and precious metals became its top export group: from 3% to 36%
% of exports by Harmonized System chapter.
- Other 6%
- Fruit and nuts 2%
- Oil, gas and coal 3%
- Iron and steel 6%
- Salt, stone and cement 8%
- Ores and slag 8%
- Nickel 12%
- Tobacco 18%
- Gems and precious metals 36%
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Chapter | 1995 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Gems and precious metals | 3.3% | 35.7% |
| Tobacco | 23.1% | 18.1% |
| Nickel | 6.8% | 12.3% |
| Ores and slag | 0.18% | 8.4% |
| Salt, stone and cement | 5.1% | 8.4% |
| Iron and steel | 12.5% | 5.9% |
| Oil, gas and coal | 1.7% | 2.9% |
| Fruit and nuts | 0.75% | 1.7% |
| Other | 46.6% | 6.4% |
Who it trades with
China went from 2% to 20% of Zimbabwe's trade
% of total trade (exports + imports) with each partner.
- South Africa 29%
- China 20%
- United Arab Emirates 17%
- Bahamas 4%
- Mozambique 4%
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Partner | 1995 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| South Africa | 29.8% | 29.2% |
| China | 1.7% | 20.3% |
| United Arab Emirates | 0.03% | 17.2% |
| Bahamas | 0% | 4.2% |
| Mozambique | 1.2% | 3.8% |
Production hubs
Sources and methodology
Sources and licenses
- CEPII BACI · Licence Ouverte Etalab 2.0
- Climate TRACE · CC BY 4.0 (emissions by asset; the 3 largest per country are shown)
- Kummu et al., gridded GDP · CC BY 4.0 (hubs aggregated by this site)
- Natural Earth · Public domain
Methodology
Goods trade from CEPII BACI (BACI_HS92_V202601), in current US dollars, with exports and imports reconciled between countries. The transport mode is our own estimate based on value per kilo and geography. Ranks are computed among the countries with data each year. Services are not included. Data up to 2024.