Harare, (New Ziana) — The Zimbabwean economy remains firmly tied to its traditional export staples of tobacco and gold, while the country continues to depend heavily on imported fuel and vehicles, latest data from the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (Zimstat) shows.
In its July 2025 Trade and Price Statistics Report, Zimstat said tobacco and semi-manufactured gold led Zimbabwe’s export portfolio in June, helping drive total export earnings to US$723.5 million for the month.
According to the report, semi-manufactured gold accounted for 53.6 percent of exports, followed by nickel mattes (12.7 percent), and partly or wholly stemmed/stripped tobacco (5.7 percent).
These three products alone made up over 70 percent of the total export value. On the import front, Zimbabwe recorded US$882.0 million in total goods brought into the country in June with mineral fuels and oils leading the pack at 20.5 percent, followed by machinery and mechanical appliances (13.0 percent), cereals (6.8 percent), and motor vehicles (6.6 percent).
Zimstat pointed out that Zimbabwe’s trade partners remain largely consistent, with exports heavily concentrated in a few key markets namely the United Arab Emirates at the top of the list of destinations, taking in 54.8 percent of goods, followed by South Africa (23.5 percent) and China (8.3 percent).
Combined, the three countries accounted for nearly 87 percent of all exports in June. For imports, South Africa remained the country’s largest source, supplying 34.5 percent of imported goods while other major contributors included China (15.0 percent), Bahrain (9.8 percent), and the Bahamas (5.3 percent), together making up about 65 percent of total imports.
Regionally, Zimbabwe’s exports to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in June were dominated by nickel mattes (42.0 percent), followed by coke and semi-coke of coal (8.8 percent), semi-manufactured gold (7.9 percent), and chromium ores (5.8 percent). In trade with COMESA, leading exports included iron and steel products (18.6 percent), tobacco cigarettes (18.3 percent), and coke and semi-coke of coal (10.5 percent).
The European Union market received mainly tobacco (30.9 percent), ferro-chromium (25.9 percent), and unworked industrial diamonds (24.3 percent). The trade figures highlight Zimbabwe’s ongoing reliance on raw mineral and agricultural exports, while exposing vulnerabilities in energy and industrial goods supply chains, a persistent feature of the country’s trade dynamics.
New Ziana
