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by FlagPictures.orgA landlocked nation in southern Africa, the Republic of Zimbabwe shipped US$9.7 billion worth of exported products around the world in 2025.
That dollar amount results from a 60.8% increase from $6 billion 5 years earlier in 2021.
Year over year, the total value of Zimbabwean exports accelerated by 30.2% compared to $7.5 billion starting from 2024.
The US dollar is the official currency of Zimbabwe and is used for international trade.
Zimbabwe’s Major Trading Partners
The latest available country-specific data shows that 94.7% of products exported from Zimbabwe was bought by importers in: United Arab Emirates (48.7% of the Zimbabwean total), South Africa (22.7%), mainland China (14%), Mozambique (2.7%), Belgium (1.5%), Zambia (1.4%), Indonesia (1.1%), Netherlands (0.7%), United States of America (0.53%), Vietnam (0.49%), Hong Kong (0.47%) and Armenia (0.4%).
From a continental perspective, 67.3% of Zimbabwe’s exports by value was delivered to Asian countries while 28.8% was sold to importers in fellow African nations.
Zimbabwe shipped another 3.3% worth of goods to buyers in Europe.
Tinier percentages went to customers in North America (0.6%), Latin America excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean (0.023%) then Oceania’s Australia and New Zealand only (0.0014%).
Given Zimbabwe’s population of 17.4 million people, its total US$9.71 billion in 2025 exports translates to roughly $560 for every resident in the southern African country. That dollar metric exceeds the average $440 per capita one year earlier during 2024.
The following export product groups represent the highest dollar value in Zimbabwean global shipments during 2025 at the 2-digit Harmonized Tariff System code level. Also shown is the percentage share each export category represents in terms of overall exports from Zimbabwe.
- Gems, precious metals: US$4.8 billion (49.7% of total exports)
- Tobacco, manufactured substitutes: $1.5 billion (15%)
- Nickel: $1.4 billion (14.6%)
- Iron, steel: $468.5 million (4.8%)
- Ores, slag, ash: $451.4 million (4.7%)
- Salt, sulphur, stone, cement: $438 million (4.5%)
- Mineral fuels including oil: $235.9 million (2.4%)
- Sugar, sugar confectionery: $50.3 million (0.5%)
- Fruits, nuts: $35.1 million (0.4%)
- Raw hides, skins not furskins, leather: $28.8 million (0.3%)
Zimbabwe’s top 10 export product categories generated 96.9% of the overall value of Zimbabwean global shipments.
Gems and precious metals represent the fastest grower among the top 10 export categories, up by 69.4% from 2024 to 2025.
In second place for improving export sales was nickel via a 42.9% advance.
Zimbabwe’s shipments of salt, sulphur, stone and cement posted the third-fastest gain in value, up by 37.5%.
The leading decliner among Zimbabwe’s top 10 export categories was the ores, slag and ash thanks to a -48.6% year-over-year drop.
At the more granular four-digit Harmonized Tariff System code level, Zimbabwe’s most valuable exported products in 2025 was unwrought gold (47.8% of Zimbabwe’s total export revenues). In second place was nickel matte and oxide sinters (14.6%) trailed by unmanufactured tobacco including tobacco waste (13.7%), vermiculite and perlite (4.3%), iron ferroalloys (3.8%), coke and semi-coke (1.8%), chromium ores and concentrates (1.7%), miscellaneous ores and concentrates (also 1.7%), unmounted and unset diamonds (1.4%) then nickel ores and concentrates (1.2%).
Products Creating Zimbabwe’s Largest Trade Surpluses
The following types of Zimbabwean product shipments represent positive net exports or a trade balance surplus. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports.
In a nutshell, net exports represent the amount by which foreign spending on a home country’s goods or services exceeds or lags the home country’s spending on foreign goods or services.
- Gems, precious metals: US$4.8 billion (Up by 69.2% since 2024)
- Nickel: $1.41 billion (Up by 42.9%)
- Tobacco, manufactured substitutes: $1.39 billion (Up by 3.3%)
- Ores, slag, ash: $449.9 million (Down by -48.7%)
- Salt, sulphur, stone, cement: $249.1 million (Up by 48.6%)
- Iron, steel: $187.4 million (Up by 106.4%)
- Sugar, sugar confectionery: $26.6 million (Up by 154.1%)
- Raw hides, skins not furskins, leather: $26.2 million (Down by -22.4%)
- Fruits, nuts: $25.9 million (Up by 2.6%)
- Coffee, tea, spices: $14.5 million (Down by -22.5%)
Historically, Zimbabwe generates positive net exports in the international trade of gold, diamonds and platinum. In turn, these cashflows indicate Zimbabwe’s strong competitive advantages under the gems and precious metals product category.
Products Causing Zimbabwe’s Worst Trade Deficits
Zimbabwe racked up a -US$413.9 million trade deficit for 2025, declining by -76.9% from -$1.8 billion in red ink one year earlier in 2024.
Below are exports from Zimbabwe that result in negative net exports or product trade balance deficits. These negative net exports reveal product categories where foreign spending on home country Zimbabwe’s goods trail Zimbabwean importer spending on foreign products.
- Mineral fuels including oil: -US$2 billion (Up by 9.1% since 2024)
- Machinery including computers: -$1.3 billion (Up by 13%)
- Cereals: -$793.6 million (Down by -13.9%)
- Electrical machinery, equipment: -$541.8 million (Down by -2%)
- Vehicles: -$526.4 million (Up by 18.2%)
- Plastics, plastic articles: -$367.9 million (Up by 14.4%)
- Fertilizers: -$362.3 million (Up by 11.1%)
- Animal/vegetable fats, oils, waxes: -$342.9 million (Up by 22.7%)
- Articles of iron or steel: -$285.5 million (Up by 4.5%)
- Other chemical goods: -$265.4 million (Up by 9.7%)
Zimbabwe has highly negative net exports and therefore deep international trade deficits for refined petroleum oils, electrical energy and petroleum gas under the mineral fuels-related product category.
Zimbabwean Export Companies
Not one Zimbabwean corporation ranks among Forbes Global 2000.
Wikipedia does list exporters from Zimbabwe. Selected examples are shown below.
- Border Timbers (forestry products)
- Colcom Foods Limited (meat processing)
- Cotton Company of Zimbabwe (cotton lint, cottonseed)
- Dairibord Zimbabwe Ltd (milk, other dairy products)
- Hippo Valley Estate (sugar)
- Sable Chemicals (fertilizer, ammonia nitrate)
- Tanganda Tea (tea, coffee)
- Zimbabwe Iron and Steel Company (iron, steel)
In macroeconomic terms, Zimbabwe’s total exported goods represent 10.3% of its overall Gross Domestic Product for 2025 ($93.9 billion valued in Purchasing Power Parity US dollars). That 10.3% for exports to overall GDP in PPP for 2025 compares to 8.6% for 2024. Those percentages suggest a relatively increasing reliance on products sold on international markets for Zimbabwe’s total economic performance, albeit based on a short timeframe.
Another key indicator of a country’s economic performance is its unemployment rate. Zimbabwe’s unemployment rate averaged 9.29% for 2025, down from an average 9.44% in 2024 according to Statista.
Zimbabwe’s capital city is Harare.
See also Zimbabwe’s Top 10 Imports, Top African Export Countries, South Africa’s Top 100 Imported Consumer Products and Nigeria’s Top 10 Exports
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook, Africa: Zimbabwe. Accessed on August 10, 2026
Forbes 2025 Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on August 10, 2026
International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database (GDP based on Purchasing Power Parity). Accessed on August 10, 2026
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on August 10, 2026
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on August 10, 2026
Wikipedia, Gross domestic product. Accessed on August 10, 2026
Wikipedia, List of Companies of Zimbabwe. Accessed on August 10, 2026
Wikipedia, Purchasing power parity. Accessed on August 10, 2026
Wikipedia, Zimbabwe. Accessed on August 10, 2026
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