Sub-Saharan Africa vs Zimbabwe: Merchandise trade to GDP ratio

Sub-Saharan Africa
73.2%
in 2011
Zimbabwe
137.3%
in 2011
Sub-Saharan Africa rank
3rd
Zimbabwe rank
4th

Merchandise trade to GDP ratio over time

  • Sub-Saharan Africa
  • Zimbabwe
255075100125196019852011

How they compare

Zimbabwe currently reports 137.3% against 73.2% in Sub-Saharan Africa, a difference of 64.1%.

That makes Zimbabwe's figure about 1.9 times Sub-Saharan Africa's.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 37 shared years of data; in 1975 it was Sub-Saharan Africa ahead.

Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 3rd and Zimbabwe ranks 4th of 6 groups.

Across the 5 decades both report, Sub-Saharan Africa averaged higher in 2 and Zimbabwe in 3.

Head to head by decade

Decade Sub-Saharan Africa Zimbabwe Difference Ahead
1970s 52.0% 43.4% 8.7% Sub-Saharan Africa
1980s 50.9% 43.6% 7.3% Sub-Saharan Africa
1990s 55.1% 68.8% 13.6% Zimbabwe
2000s 68.3% 79.7% 11.4% Zimbabwe
2010s 70.2% 131.7% 61.5% Zimbabwe

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher merchandise trade to gdp ratio, Sub-Saharan Africa or Zimbabwe?
Zimbabwe, at 137.3% against 73.2% in Sub-Saharan Africa as of 2011.
What is the difference in merchandise trade to gdp ratio between Sub-Saharan Africa and Zimbabwe?
64.1%, with Zimbabwe ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Sub-Saharan Africa and Zimbabwe?
37 years are reported by both, from 1975 to 2011.
How do Sub-Saharan Africa and Zimbabwe rank globally for merchandise trade to gdp ratio?
Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 3rd and Zimbabwe ranks 4th of 6 groups.
Where does this data come from?
World Bank country economists, published as Merchandise trade to GDP ratio (%). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Sub-Saharan Africa vs Zimbabwe: Merchandise trade to GDP ratio. Statizoid, drawing on World Bank country economists. Retrieved 14 September 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/compare/merchandise-trade-to-gdp-ratio-percent/sub-saharan-africa/zimbabwe/

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About this data

Indicator
Merchandise trade to GDP ratio (%)
Unit
%
Source
World Bank country economists
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
59 places, 2,599 data points, 1960–2011
Last refreshed

Merchandise trade as a share of GDP is the sum of merchandise exports and imports divided by the value of GDP, all in current US dollars and from the national accounts.