Merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$) in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$) was 7.26 billion current US$ in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Merchandise imports by the reporting economy in Zimbabwe, 1964–2023
Source: Staff estimates, World Bank (WB). Measured in current US$.
Analysis
The most recent figure for merchandise imports by the reporting economy in Zimbabwe is 7.26 billion current US$, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 46 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 11.7% on the previous year and up 53.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise imports by the reporting economy in Zimbabwe peaked at 7.26 billion current US$ in 2023 and was at its lowest, 91.88 million current US$, in 1966.
That places Zimbabwe 123rd out of 206 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$) in Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | current US$ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1964 | 297.33 million current US$ | — |
| 1965 | 356.18 million current US$ | +19.8% |
| 1966 | 91.88 million current US$ | -74.2% |
| 1981 | 1.34 billion current US$ | +1354.7% |
| 1982 | 1.38 billion current US$ | +3.6% |
| 1983 | 1.01 billion current US$ | -27.2% |
| 1984 | 861.94 million current US$ | -14.5% |
| 1985 | 764.38 million current US$ | -11.3% |
| 1986 | 945.92 million current US$ | +23.8% |
| 1987 | 1.01 billion current US$ | +6.9% |
| 1988 | 746.90 million current US$ | -26.1% |
| 1989 | 1.32 billion current US$ | +77.3% |
| 1990 | 1.61 billion current US$ | +21.7% |
| 1991 | 1.81 billion current US$ | +12.2% |
| 1992 | 1.96 billion current US$ | +8.5% |
| 1993 | 1.58 billion current US$ | -19.5% |
| 1994 | 2.04 billion current US$ | +29.4% |
| 1995 | 2.49 billion current US$ | +21.9% |
| 1996 | 2.68 billion current US$ | +7.6% |
| 1997 | 3.08 billion current US$ | +14.8% |
| 1998 | 2.49 billion current US$ | -19.3% |
| 1999 | 1.95 billion current US$ | -21.6% |
| 2000 | 1.61 billion current US$ | -17.1% |
| 2001 | 1.25 billion current US$ | -22.6% |
| 2002 | 1.35 billion current US$ | +7.9% |
| 2003 | 1.71 billion current US$ | +27.2% |
| 2004 | 1.88 billion current US$ | +9.5% |
| 2005 | 2.20 billion current US$ | +17.0% |
| 2006 | 2.63 billion current US$ | +19.5% |
| 2007 | 2.81 billion current US$ | +7.1% |
| 2008 | 3.18 billion current US$ | +13.2% |
| 2009 | 2.84 billion current US$ | -10.7% |
| 2010 | 3.93 billion current US$ | +38.3% |
| 2011 | 4.87 billion current US$ | +23.8% |
| 2012 | 4.94 billion current US$ | +1.5% |
| 2013 | 4.73 billion current US$ | -4.2% |
| 2014 | 4.58 billion current US$ | -3.2% |
| 2015 | 4.24 billion current US$ | -7.4% |
| 2016 | 3.78 billion current US$ | -10.8% |
| 2017 | 3.96 billion current US$ | +4.7% |
| 2018 | 4.27 billion current US$ | +7.9% |
| 2019 | 3.54 billion current US$ | -17.2% |
| 2020 | 4.22 billion current US$ | +19.2% |
| 2021 | 5.86 billion current US$ | +39.0% |
| 2022 | 6.49 billion current US$ | +10.8% |
| 2023 | 7.26 billion current US$ | +11.7% |
Zimbabwe compared with similar countries
- Zimbabwe's 7.26 billion current US$ is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 8.62 billion current US$, 84% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Zimbabwe's 7.26 billion current US$ is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4.61 billion current US$, 1.6× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | +1354.7% | 91.88 million current US$ | 1.34 billion current US$ |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 248.46 million current US$ | 91.88 million current US$ | 356.18 million current US$ | 3 |
| 1980s | 1.04 billion current US$ | 746.90 million current US$ | 1.38 billion current US$ | 9 |
| 1990s | 2.17 billion current US$ | 1.58 billion current US$ | 3.08 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.15 billion current US$ | 1.25 billion current US$ | 3.18 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.29 billion current US$ | 3.54 billion current US$ | 4.94 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.96 billion current US$ | 4.22 billion current US$ | 7.26 billion current US$ | 4 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
More private sector data for Zimbabwe
- Merchandise trade 38.7% (2025)
- Food imports 19.0% (2024)
- Manufactures imports 58.3% (2024)
- Merchandise imports 10.11 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 21.6% (2024)
- Manufactures exports 6.7% (2024)
- Merchandise exports 9.71 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 572.66 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.1895 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 30.61 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise imports by the reporting economy in Zimbabwe?
- Merchandise imports by the reporting economy in Zimbabwe was 7.26 billion current US$ in 2023, according to Staff estimates, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest merchandise imports by the reporting economy recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 7.26 billion current US$ in 2023.
- What is the lowest merchandise imports by the reporting economy recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 91.88 million current US$ in 1966.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for merchandise imports by the reporting economy?
- Zimbabwe ranks 123rd out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is merchandise imports by the reporting economy rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is up 53.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Zimbabwe data come from?
- The figures come from Staff estimates, World Bank (WB), published as part of Merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 46 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Merchandise imports by the reporting economy are the total merchandise imports by the reporting economy from the rest of the world, as reported in the IMF's Direction of trade database. Data are in current U.S. dollars.