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Zimbabwe GDP and Economic Data

Country Report 2017 - Includes Zimbabwe real Gross Domestic Product growth rate, with latest forecasts and historical data, GDP per capita, GDP composition and breakdown by sector.

Browse additional economic indicators and data sets, selected by Global Finance editors, to learn more about Zimbabwe economic outlook, debt to GDP ratio, international trade performance and population trends. Rankings of Zimbabwe best banks and safest banks are also available.

Zimbabwe: Mugabe Woos Foreign Investors

Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe is one of Africa’s last old-school dictators. But he’s proving that he may be able to change—for the better. In the decade ending in 2008, Zimbabwe’s economy shrank at an annual rate of 6.1%. Then, in 2009, the country adopted the US dollar. Since then, growth has averaged nearly 8% per year...

 
 
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Central bank

Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe

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International Reserves

USD 0.09 billion (2018)

International Monetary Fund (IMF), data retrieved October 2019

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Gross Domestic Product - GDP

USD 26.1 billion (2018, estimate)

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GDP (Purchasing Power Parity)

Intl$ 42.5 billion (2018, estimate)

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Real GDP growth
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
-3.4% -16.3% 7.4%  19.7% 14.2% 16.7% 2%
2014 2015* 2016* 2017* 2018*    
2.4% 1.8% 0.7% 4.7% 3.4%    

*Estimate

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GDP per capita - current prices

USD 1,711.8 (2018, estimate)

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GDP per capita - PPP

Intl$ 2,787.6 (2018, estimate)

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GDP (PPP) - share of world total
1980 1990 2000 2010 2019*
N/A N/A 0.05% 0.02% 0.03%

*Estimate

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GDP - composition by sector
  • agriculture: 12.1% 
  • industry: 32.5% 
  • services: 44.7%

(2018 estimate)

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Gross domestic expenditure on R&D; (% of GDP)

N/A

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Inflation
2015 2016 2017 2018* 2019*
-2.4% -1.6% 0.9% 10.6% 161.8%

*Estimate

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Unemployment rate
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

*Estimate

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Household saving rates

N/A

 

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Public debt (General government gross debt as a % of GDP)
2015 2016 2017* 2018* 2019*
41.8% 54.2% 54.9% 37.1% 17.7%

*Estimate

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Public deficit (General government net lending/borrowing as a % of GDP)
2015 2016 2017* 2018* 2019*
-1.4% -6.2% -8.1% -4.5% -2.7%

*Estimate   

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Government bond ratings

Standard & Poor's: N/A

Moody's: N/A

Standard & Poor's / Moody's 

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Market value of publicly traded shares
2016 2017 2018
N/A N/A N/A

 

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Largest companies

N/A

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Current account balance

USD -1.0 billion (2018 estimate)

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Current account balance by percentage of GDP

-4.9 % (2018 estimate)

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Exports as percent of GDP (Exports of goods and services)

22.9% (2018)

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Shares in world total merchandising export

0.02% (2018)

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Shares in world total commercial services export

0.008% (2018)

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Total exports

USD 5.3 billion (2018 estimate)

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Export commodities

Platinum, cotton, tobacco, gold, ferroalloys, textiles/clothing

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Total imports

USD 8.4 billion (2018 estimate)

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Import commodities

Machinery and transport equipment, other manufactures, chemicals, fuels, food products

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Exports - major partners

South Africa 50.3%, Mozambique 22.5%, UAE 9.8%, Zambia 4.9% (2017)

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Imports - major partners

South Africa 47.8%, Zambia 20.5% (2017)

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FDI inflows
2016 2017 2018
USD 372 million USD 349 million USD 745 million
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FDI outflows
2016 2017 2018
USD 29 million USD 42 million USD 27 million
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Value of cross-border M&A, by country of purchaser
2015 2016 2017 2018
N/A N/A USD -5.7 million USD 0.4 million
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Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2014

N/A

(for a monthly update on M&A; click here )

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Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2015

N/A

(for a monthly update on M&A; click here )

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Best countries for doing business

Economies are ranked on their ease of doing business. A high ease of doing business ranking means the regulatory environment is more conducive to the starting and operation of a local firm.

Overall ranking:

140 out of 190 countries

​Subcategories:
Starting a Business: 167 out of 190 countries
Dealing with Construction Permits: 140 out of 190 countries
Getting Electricity: 167 out of 190 countries
Registering Property: 109 out of 190 countries
Getting Credit: 67 out of 190 countries
Protecting Minority Investors: 97 out of 190 countries
Paying Taxes: 146 out of 190 countries
Trading across Borders: 159 out of 190 countries
Enforcing Contracts: 169 out of 190 countries
Resolving Insolvency: 142 out of 190 countries

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Global competitiveness ranking

127 out of 141 countries

(2019)

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Index of Economic Freedom

Ranking: 175 / Score: 40.4 (Repressed)

(100=totally free 0=totally repressed)

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Time zone

UTC+2

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Total area

390,757 sq km

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Capital

Harare

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Currency

Zimbabwean dollars (ZWD)

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Government type

Semi-presidential republic

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Languages

Shona (official; most widely spoken), Ndebele (official, second most widely spoken), English (official; traditionally used for official business), 13 minority languages (official; includes Chewa, Chibarwe, Kalanga, Koisan, Nambya, Ndau, Shangani, sign lan

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Religions

Protestant 74.8% (includes Apostolic 37.5%, Pentecostal 21.8%, other 15.5%), Roman Catholic 7.3%, other Christian 5.3%, traditional 1.5%, Muslim 0.5%, other 0.1%, none 10.5%(2015 est.)

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Total population
1990 2000 2010 2015* 2020*
9.79 million 11.69 million 12.34 million 14.01 million 15.19 million

*Estimate 

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Urban population as % of total population
1960 1980 2000 2018
12.6% 22.4% 33.8% 32.2%
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Population median age

20.2 years

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Population growth rate

1.68% (2018 estimate)

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Life expectancy

61.1 years (2018 estimate)

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Literacy

Total population: 86.5% 
Male: 88.5% 
Female: 84.6%
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write english (2015 est.)

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% of population living on less than $3.10 a day

47.2% (last available estimate, 2011)

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Inequality of wealth distribution (Gini index)

43.2 (last available estimate, 2011)

(0=perfect equality, 100=absolute inequality)

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Freedom House rating

Partly Free
Political Rights: 5
Civil Liberties: 5 (2019)
(1 represents the most free, 7 the least free rating)

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Total telephone subscribers as % of population

Fixed: 1.9%

Mobile: 89.4%

(2018)

(fixed-telephone subscribers and mobile-cellular subscribers)

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Internet users as % of total population

27.06 % (2017)

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Mercer Cost of living index

Harare: 188th (2019)

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CO2 emissions

0.88 metric tons per capita (2014)

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World's Best Developed & Emerging Markets Banks

2013
2012

World's Best Internet Banks

2009

World's Best Subcustodian Banks

2013
2003

World's Best Banks By Region

2014
2013
2012

World's Best Banks

2014
2013
2013

Best of…

2012
2005

Additional Awards

2014
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