Merchandise trade as a proportion of GDP (%) in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Merchandise trade as a proportion of GDP (%) was 40.8% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Merchandise trade as a proportion of GDP in Zimbabwe, 2000–2024
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, merchandise trade as a proportion of gdp in Zimbabwe stood at 40.8%.
The figure is down 11.1% on the previous year and down 20.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise trade as a proportion of gdp in Zimbabwe peaked at 105.4% in 2007 and was at its lowest, 16.7%, in 2017.
That places Zimbabwe 157th out of 220 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Merchandise trade as a proportion of GDP (%) in Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 56.6% | — |
| 2001 | 43.1% | -23.9% |
| 2002 | 59.3% | +37.6% |
| 2003 | 59.0% | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 70.4% | +19.4% |
| 2005 | 72.9% | +3.5% |
| 2006 | 75.8% | +4.0% |
| 2007 | 105.4% | +39.2% |
| 2008 | 93.3% | -11.6% |
| 2009 | 82.6% | -11.4% |
| 2010 | 70.9% | -14.2% |
| 2011 | 81.5% | +15.0% |
| 2012 | 63.2% | -22.4% |
| 2013 | 58.2% | -7.8% |
| 2014 | 50.9% | -12.5% |
| 2015 | 46.6% | -8.6% |
| 2016 | 42.2% | -9.4% |
| 2017 | 16.7% | -60.3% |
| 2018 | 30.6% | +82.8% |
| 2019 | 27.2% | -11.0% |
| 2020 | 31.4% | +15.2% |
| 2021 | 33.0% | +5.0% |
| 2022 | 37.4% | +13.4% |
| 2023 | 45.8% | +22.6% |
| 2024 | 40.8% | -11.1% |
Zimbabwe compared with similar countries
- Zimbabwe's 40.8% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 56.4%, 72% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Zimbabwe's 40.8% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 43.1%, 95% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Merchandise trade as a proportion of GDP (%) in Zimbabwe changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | +82.8% | 16.7% | 30.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 71.8% | 43.1% | 105.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 48.8% | 16.7% | 81.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 37.7% | 31.4% | 45.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
More economy & growth data for Zimbabwe
- Real gdp growth, annual growth rate -67.36 % change on previous year (2024)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.02 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 3 Percent per annum (2029)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, annual growth rate 139.91 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per capita 0.1973 units per person (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, annual growth rate 128.46 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per capita 0.1441 units per person (2025)
- IMF holdings of currency, US dollar, annual growth rate 5.01 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise trade as a proportion of gdp in Zimbabwe?
- Merchandise trade as a proportion of gdp in Zimbabwe was 40.8% in 2024, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest merchandise trade as a proportion of gdp recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 105.4% in 2007.
- What is the lowest merchandise trade as a proportion of gdp recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.7% in 2017.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for merchandise trade as a proportion of gdp?
- Zimbabwe ranks 157th out of 220 countries with data for 2024.
- Is merchandise trade as a proportion of gdp rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zimbabwe data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Merchandise trade as a proportion of GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).