Country import demand

Zimbabwe
import demand

A reported view of Zimbabwe's import scale, sector demand, supplier breadth, economy, and trade history.

ZWE1995-2024 coverage270 active partner marketsMacro trend resilient
Latest imports$8.4B2024 reported
Import growth+5.2%Year on year
Population16.6MReported population
GDP per capita$2.5KCurrent-dollar GDP
Trade openness62.4%Exports + imports / GDP

The country import read

What does Zimbabwe import?

In 2024, Zimbabwe recorded $8.4B in reported imports. Imports changed +5.2% year on year and +10.3% annualized over three years. Precious stones and metals was the largest displayed import sector.

Import history

A long view of demand

Latest twelve years from the reported country series.

Reported imports by year

2013
$5.0B
2014
$4.5B
2015
$4.5B
2016
$3.9B
2017
$3.8B
2018
$4.6B
2019
$3.6B
2020
$4.4B
2021
$6.3B
2022
$7.2B
2023
$8.0B
2024
$8.4B

Demand drivers

The economy behind import demand

Macro and structural indicators add context to reported imports.

GDP$41.5B2024 macro context
GDP growth4.5%Five-year CAGR
Population growth1.7%Five-year CAGR
Investment rate11%National rate
Savings rate-4.6%National rate
Trade openness62.4%Exports + imports / GDP

Import portfolio

The sectors shaping demand

All returned HS2 sectors ranked by latest import value.

Import demand by HS2All returned · 2024
Leading import sectors for Zimbabwe
RankSectorImportsShareImport partnersActive HS6
1Precious stones and metalsHS2 71$542.8K0%3344
2TobaccoHS2 24$67.2M0.8%2610
3Ores, slag and ashHS2 26$1.1M0%823
4Salt, sulphur, earths and stoneHS2 25$130.2M1.6%3366
5NickelHS2 75$313.1K0%1013
6Iron and steelHS2 72$223.1M2.7%36167
7Mineral fuelsHS2 27$1.4B16.8%5541
8Edible fruit and nutsHS2 08$8.6M0.1%1756
9Raw hides and skinsHS2 41$1.9M0%1135
10Sugars and sugar confectioneryHS2 17$50.9M0.6%3617

Import values are reported observations. Full rows remain in the downloads.

Supply diversification

Where import exposure is spread

Partner breadth, concentration, access, and distance add supplier context.

Supplier markets270Reported partner count
Partner concentration2,373.2Partner HHI
Top 3 partner share78.7%Reported concentration
FTA partner markets48Reported count
Average distance8,075 kmCalculated average
Macro resilienceMacro trend resilientCountry context
Complete country valuesOpen the full import evidenceFull profile, history, and HS2 sector fields remain available here and in the downloads.

Profile fields

Year2,024
Country Iso3ZWE
Exports Usd$7.7B
Imports Usd$8.4B
Trade Balance Usd-$705.6M
Yoy Exports Growth Pct10.4%
Yoy Imports Growth Pct5.2%
Exports Cagr 3y Pct9.2%
Imports Cagr 3y Pct10.3%
Export Partner Hhi2,373.2
Export Product Hhi1,508.4
Momentum Score10
Risk Score19.4
Gdp Million Usd41,539.4 million USD
Gdp Per Capita Usd$2.5K
Population16,634,373
Labor Force7,940.5
Investment Rate Pct11%
Savings Rate Pct-4.6%
Secondary Education Pct64%
Tertiary Education Pct0.7%
Total Factor Productivity263.9
Trade Openness Pct62.4%
Exports Gdp Pct29.8%
Num Active Partners270
Num Fta Partners48
Num Wto Partners169
Num Eu Partners28
Num Shared Border Partners5%
Num Shared Language Partners77%
Avg Partner Distance Km8,075 km
Avg Partner Gdp Million Usd533,678,518.3 million USD
Avg Partner Gdp Per Capita Usd$15.8
Avg Buyer Biz Entry DaysNot reported
Avg Buyer Biz Entry Cost PctNot reported
Pct Partners With Fta18
Pct Partners Shared Language28.5%
Pct Partners Shared Border1.9%
Avg Applied Tariff Pct0.1%
Avg Mfn Tariff Pct0.1%
Avg Preferential Tariff Pct0%
Tariff Advantage Pp0.1
Avg Distance All Partners Km8,170 km
Num Border Partners100
Num Colonial Partners25
Avg Substitution Elasticity-9
Pct Products High Elasticity69.1
Pct Products Low Elasticity3.6
Real Market Potential220,313.8
Foreign Market Potential21,069.7

Supplier context

Country Iso3ZWE
All History Lane Count2,117
Current Lane Count668
Critical Lane Count9
High Attention Lane Count113
High Volatility Lane Count320
Unrecovered Drawdown Lane Count262
Declining Demand Lane Count4
Concentrated Market Lane Count348
Access Friction Lane Count115
Buyer Macro Weakness Lane Count166
Monitored Exports Current Usd$7.4B
Attention Exports Usd$4.1B
Critical Exports Usd$337.3M
High Volatility Exports Usd$5.2B
Unrecovered Drawdown Exports Usd$540.2M
Non Fta Exports Usd$5.5B
Monitored Attention Share Pct55.3%
Monitored Critical Share Pct4.6%
Fta Covered Exports Share Pct24.6%
Export Weighted Volatility Cv1.5
Export Weighted Below Peak Pct13.1%
Export Weighted Distance Km6,665 km
Export Weighted Tariff Pct0.1%
Latest Data Year2,024
First Data Year1,995
Country Years Count30
Total Exports Latest Usd$7.7B
Total Imports Latest Usd$8.4B
Trade Balance Latest Usd-$705.6M
Exports Yoy Latest Pct10.4%
Exports Cagr 3y Latest Pct9.2%
Gdp Latest Million Usd41,539.4 million USD
Gdp Per Capita Latest Usd$2.5K
Population Latest16,634,373
Investment Rate Latest Pct11%
Savings Rate Latest Pct-4.6%
Trade Openness Latest Pct62.4%
Exports Gdp Latest Pct29.8%
Active Partners Latest270
Fta Partners Latest48
Foreign Market Potential Latest21,069.7
Gdp 5y Cagr Pct4.5%
Gdp Per Capita 5y Cagr Pct2.7%
Population 5y Cagr Pct1.7%
Partner Hhi Latest2,373.2
Partner Top1 Share Latest Pct37.9%
Partner Top3 Share Latest Pct78.7%
Partner Hhi All Avg1,335.1
Partner Hhi All Max2,458.2
Product Hhi Latest1,508.4
Product Top1 Share Latest Pct32.1%
Product Top3 Share Latest Pct56.3%
Product Hhi All Avg1,012.6
Product Hhi All Max1,657.7
Total Exports Attention Share Pct53.1%
Total Exports Critical Share Pct4.4%
Attention LevelWatch
Primary Risk DriverMarket access exposure
Macro Resilience LabelMacro trend resilient

Annual import history

YearImportsExportsBalanceImports YoY
1995$1.2B$1.4B$268.8M+0%
1996$1.2B$1.3B$40.8M+5.1%
1997$1.4B$1.7B$378.8M+12.2%
1998$1.2B$1.5B$279.3M-12.7%
1999$1.0B$1.5B$415.1M-12.7%
2000$1.7B$2.1B$395.4M+65.8%
2001$1.3B$1.9B$569.6M-22.6%
2002$1.7B$2.1B$363.3M+28.8%
2003$1.4B$1.8B$437.0M-18.1%
2004$2.3B$2.6B$268.5M+63.1%
2005$2.4B$2.2B-$265.5M+5.9%
2006$2.1B$4.6B$2.5B-14.9%
2007$3.0B$2.7B-$329.0M+46.8%
2008$2.3B$1.8B-$506.1M-24.9%
2009$4.2B$1.5B-$2.8B+84.6%
2010$4.4B$2.2B-$2.2B+4.5%
2011$6.4B$3.0B-$3.4B+44.5%
2012$5.3B$3.4B-$1.9B-16.7%
2013$5.0B$3.5B-$1.5B-5.3%
2014$4.5B$3.4B-$1.1B-9.7%
2015$4.5B$3.0B-$1.4B-1.8%
2016$3.9B$2.7B-$1.2B-12.1%
2017$3.8B$3.1B-$724.7M-3.7%
2018$4.6B$3.8B-$806.9M+21%
2019$3.6B$4.0B$371.9M-21%
2020$4.4B$4.6B$161.8M+21.9%
2021$6.3B$5.9B-$352.6M+42.1%
2022$7.2B$6.5B-$618.5M+14.4%
2023$8.0B$7.0B-$1.0B+11.5%
2024$8.4B$7.7B-$705.6M+5.2%

Import sectors

RankHS2SectorImportsShareImport partnersActive HS6
171Precious stones and metals$542.8K0%3344
224Tobacco$67.2M0.8%2610
326Ores, slag and ash$1.1M0%823
425Salt, sulphur, earths and stone$130.2M1.6%3366
575Nickel$313.1K0%1013
672Iron and steel$223.1M2.7%36167
727Mineral fuels$1.4B16.8%5541
808Edible fruit and nuts$8.6M0.1%1756
941Raw hides and skins$1.9M0%1135
1017Sugars and sugar confectionery$50.9M0.6%3617

Questions about this profile

Zimbabwe import demand, in context

Short answers for import and supplier research.

What does the Zimbabwe import profile measure?

It combines reported imports, annual history, HS2 sectors, supplier breadth, economy context, and calculated indicators for Zimbabwe.

What is the latest reported import value for Zimbabwe?

Zimbabwe recorded $8.4B in reported imports in 2024.

Which sectors lead Zimbabwe's imports?

Precious stones and metals leads by reported import value at $542.8K.

How many years of Zimbabwe import history are available?

This profile contains 30 annual rows covering 1995 through 2024.

What drives import demand?

GDP, population, investment, savings, and trade openness provide demand context.

Are the growth and concentration values forecasts?

No. They are calculated or classified from reported observations, not forecasts or guarantees.

Continue your research

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Compare countries, products, sectors, and suppliers using reported trade data.

Data source

OECD trade statistics with CEPII context

OECD (2025), Balanced international merchandise trade statistics (BIMTS) - HS2017-6D, OECD Data Explorer (accessed on 2026-08-29). OECD BIMTS is the primary trade series for this view. Supporting bilateral trade context uses CEPII BACI bilateral trade flows (202601) under Etalab 2.0 Open Licence. Yugalinks presents derived views of reported observations and calculated indicators. Data terms: OECD Terms & Conditions.