01Key Takeaways
- Zimbabwe exported $7.23 billion worth of goods in 2023, up 9.7% from $6.59 billion in 2022, a fourth consecutive year of growth and the most recent year with verified trade data available in this dataset.
- Precious stones and metals led every export category at 31.2% ($2.25 billion), by far the largest single category on this list.
- Tobacco ranked second among export categories at 18.0% ($1.30 billion).
- South Africa was Zimbabwe's largest export partner, taking 30.9% of exports, worth $2.23 billion.
025-Year Trend
| Year | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | $4.3B | $4.4B | $6.0B | $6.6B | $7.2B |
03Top Export Markets (2023)
| Rank | Partner | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Africa | $2.2B | 30.9% |
| 2 | United Arab Emirates | $1.9B | 26.4% |
| 3 | China | $1.3B | 17.7% |
| 4 | Mozambique | $397.7M | 5.5% |
| 5 | Areas, nes | $280.2M | 3.9% |
| 6 | Belgium | $210.7M | 2.9% |
| 7 | Hong Kong SAR China | $171.0M | 2.4% |
| 8 | Zambia | $142.4M | 2.0% |
| 9 | Netherlands | $69.6M | 1.0% |
| 10 | Vietnam | $53.0M | 0.7% |
04Top Export Categories (2023)
| Rank | Category | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Natural or Cultured Pearls, Precious or Semi-Precious Stones, Precious Metals, Metals Clad with Precious Metal, and Articles thereof; Imitation Jewellery; Coin | $2.3B | 31.2% |
| 2 | Tobacco and Manufactured Tobacco Substitutes | $1.3B | 18.0% |
| 3 | Nickel and Articles thereof | $989.7M | 13.7% |
| 4 | Salt; Sulphur; Earths and Stone; Plastering Materials, Lime and Cement | $922.1M | 12.8% |
| 5 | Ores, Slag and Ash | $735.1M | 10.2% |
| 6 | Iron and Steel | $390.2M | 5.4% |
| 7 | Mineral Fuels, Mineral Oils and Products of their Distillation; Bituminous Substances; Mineral Waxes | $204.3M | 2.8% |
| 8 | Sugars and Sugar Confectionery | $58.0M | 0.8% |
| 9 | Raw Hides and Skins (other than Furskins) and Leather | $36.6M | 0.5% |
| 10 | Cotton | $34.8M | 0.5% |
05Trade Partner Map
06Analysis
Export Value Climbed for a Fourth Straight Year in 2023
Zimbabwe exported $7.23 billion worth of goods in 2023, up 9.7% from $6.59 billion in 2022. This is the most recent year with verified trade data available in this dataset. The dataset covers a full five years, from 2019 through 2023, tracking this mining and agricultural economy.
Export value stood at $4.28 billion in 2019, the low point of this five-year window. It edged up to $4.39 billion in 2020, then jumped to $6.04 billion in 2021 and $6.59 billion in 2022, before reaching $7.23 billion in 2023, the high point of this five-year window.
This dataset does not explain what drove the sharp jump between 2020 and 2021. Export value in 2023 nonetheless rose in every single year of this five-year window, an unbroken run rather than an isolated spike. A gain of 9.7% extends that uninterrupted climb rather than marking a new or isolated surge. Export value has now grown by nearly seven in ten dollars over the course of this five-year window, measured against its 2019 starting level.
Gold and Tobacco Anchor an Export List Tied to Mining and Agriculture
Precious stones and metals led every export category in 2023, worth $2.25 billion, or 31.2% of the total, by far the largest single category on this list. Tobacco ranked second at 18.0%, worth $1.30 billion. Zimbabwe is Africa's foremost tobacco producer, consistently ranking among the world's top four. Export contracts involving Chinese firms contribute nearly a billion dollars in annual export value. That pattern is reflected in tobacco ranking second on this export list and China ranking among Zimbabwe's top export partners. Nickel and articles thereof followed at 13.7%, worth $989.70 million. These first three categories together account for well over six in ten dollars of total export value.
Salt, sulphur, earths and stone contributed 12.8%, worth $922.11 million, industrial minerals tied to this country's cement and construction materials sector. Ores, slag and ash added a further 10.2%, worth $735.06 million. These first five categories together account for well over eight in ten dollars of total export value.
Iron and steel contributed 5.4%, worth $390.19 million, and mineral fuels also added 2.8%, worth $204.25 million overall. Sugars and sugar confectionery contributed a further 0.8%, worth $58.04 million overall. Raw hides, skins and leather added 0.5% ($36.58 million), essentially tied with cotton at 0.5% ($34.77 million), together the smallest shares among all ten categories on this list. These ten categories span mining, agriculture and light manufacturing, reflecting an economy still rooted in primary commodities.
South Africa and the UAE Lead a Highly Concentrated Partner List
South Africa was Zimbabwe's largest export partner in 2023, taking 30.9% of exports, worth $2.23 billion. United Arab Emirates ranked second at 26.4%, worth $1.91 billion. China followed at 17.7%, worth $1.28 billion. Together, these top three partners accounted for 75.1% of total export value, an extremely high concentration level, higher even than the concentration seen among Zimbabwe's top export categories. That level of concentration is common among smaller export economies where a handful of commodities and destinations dominate total trade.
Mozambique contributed a further 5.5% ($397.70 million). A destination recorded in trade statistics as "Areas, nes," a classification covering shipments not assigned to a single specific country, ranked fifth at 3.9%, worth $280.16 million. Belgium followed at 2.9%, worth $210.74 million, the only European destination among the top ten partners listed here.
Hong Kong SAR China contributed 2.4% ($171.03 million), and Zambia also added 2.0% ($142.36 million), a neighboring economy with its own copper-mining base and its own set of export partners spread across a global trading hub and regional neighbors. Netherlands contributed 1.0% ($69.55 million), and Vietnam closed out the top ten at 0.7%, worth $52.98 million, by far the smallest share among the ten identifiable partners listed here. Ranks four through ten here are packed within roughly five percentage points of each other, a far tighter cluster than the wide gaps separating the top three.
Taken together, this dataset's most recent confirmed year describes an export profile anchored in gold and tobacco, extending an uninterrupted four-year climb. That profile is sourced from a partner base led by South Africa and the UAE, an extremely concentrated grouping among the identifiable destinations, with a global gold and precious-metals trading hub sitting alongside this country's largest regional neighbor.