Zimbabwe
Everything Palanor holds about Zimbabwe, in one place: 51 public signals, what its economy runs on, how often America’s largest companies name it, the news that names it, and Country Posture. Every figure is computed from stored readings and carries its source and date.
AfricaSub-Saharan AfricaMiddle East & Africa
The latest read
- GDP in current U.S. dollars: $51.2 billion (2025); record high since 1990; 1y +23.4%.
- Household consumption, share of GDP: 84.4% of GDP (2024); 64th percentile since 1990; 1y +0.36 pts.
- Net exports, share of GDP: -5.39% of GDP (2024); 56th percentile since 1990; highest since 2021; 1y +0.67 pts.
Country Posture
What Zimbabwe’s economy is doing
Momentum
2025Inputs only. Did not pass the pre-registered back-test: 1996–2009: AUC 0.590 below 0.60; AUC 0.590 below the single-input baseline (0.624); 2010–2022: AUC 0.595 below 0.60; AUC 0.595 below the single-input baseline (0.641).
Inputs
| Real GDP growth | 8.1 |
| Growth against its three-year average | 3.7 |
| Change in unemployment | -0.1 |
| Change in the employment rate | 0.1 |
| Export volume growth | — |
| OECD leading indicator | — |
Resilience
2025Withheld: 3 of 5 core inputs reported for 2025.
Inputs
| Interest as a share of revenue | — |
| Budget balance | — |
| Reserves, months of imports (2024) | 0.5 |
| Current account (2024) | 1.2 |
| Governance (WGI mean) | -1.14 |
| External debt (2024) | 33.0 |
Pressure
2022Inputs only. Did not pass the pre-registered back-test: 1996–2009: AUC 0.657 below the single-input baseline (0.672).
Inputs
| Inflation | 105 |
| Change in inflation | 6.2 |
| Currency move against the dollar | 144.3% |
| Conflict deaths per million | 0.0 |
| Political stability | -0.82 |
| Private credit, three-year change | 2.4 |
| Bond spread over U.S. Treasuries | — |
Posture describes what an economy is doing; it is not a rating and never ranks countries. Each input is read against the country’s own history and against every other economy that year. An axis shows a score only after passing a back-test fixed before any result was computed. Method and back-test.
Passport reach
Where a Zimbabwe passport opens doors
The share of world GDP, outside Zimbabwe itself, in the economies whose published rules let a holder of this passport in, as of October 2026. Palanor records the rules of destinations holding 88% of world GDP, from each government’s own list, and weights them by World Bank GDP for 2025. Rank is among 199 passports.
Work
0.0%rank 114 of 199
the right to work (free movement in full; treaty and working-holiday routes at half); 0 destinations in full.
Recorded changes
- 2025-04-05Russia · visit: Visa required → E-visa before travel source
Reach is shown here and not weighted into Country Strength: it rewards membership of a free-movement area or a treaty more than the strength of an economy. Entry is always at the border officer’s discretion, and conditions (length of stay, fees, age limits) vary. Method, sources and the full ranking: Passports and citizenship.
Palanor calculation from each destination government's published rules; GDP weights from the World Bank (CC BY 4.0), one year for the whole line, so it moves only when a list changes.
GDP by expenditure
What Zimbabwe’s economy runs on
In 2024, household spending was 84.4% of GDP, government consumption 12.2%, investment 8.8% and net exports -5.4% (exports 18.1%, imports 23.4%).
World Bank national accounts. The parts can miss 100 by a few points (the statistical discrepancy).
Same World Bank definition for every country, so the shares compare directly: What each economy runs on.
IMF World Economic Outlook
The IMF’s outlook for Zimbabwe
The latest year before the October 2026 edition (often still an IMF estimate) and the IMF’s own projections. These are the IMF’s published forecasts, shown as published; Palanor does not project them further. Since the previous edition the IMF raised its growth forecast for this year by 0.0 percentage points (Palanor calculation).
| Measure | 2025 | 2026 IMF f’cast | 2027 IMF f’cast | 2031 IMF f’cast |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Real GDP growth% | 8.3 | 5.0 | 3.5 | 4.2 |
| Inflation, average consumer prices% | 81.4 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 6.9 |
| GDP, current US dollarsUS$ bn | 58.3 | 65.9 | 69.3 | 74.6 |
| GDP at purchasing-power parityintl $ bn | 138.8 | 150.7 | 160.9 | 205.9 |
| GDP per person, US dollarsUS$ | 3,358 | 3,718 | 3,828 | 3,786 |
| Current account balance% of GDP | 3.6 | 5.3 | 3.6 | 1.3 |
| Government gross debt% of GDP | 38.0 | 33.5 | 30.6 | 25.7 |
| Government overall balance% of GDP | 0.1 | 2.0 | 0.8 | 0.2 |
| Government primary balance% of GDP | 0.6 | 2.8 | 1.8 | 1.0 |
| Government net interest paid% of GDP · Palanor calc. | 0.5 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 0.8 |
Source: IMF World Economic Outlook Database (edition on the projection). Dashed: the IMF's published projection.
Source: IMF World Economic Outlook Database (edition on the projection). Dashed: the IMF's published projection.
Source: IMF World Economic Outlook Database, October 2026. Provided by the IMF “as is” and free of charge from the IMF; the IMF does not endorse Palanor. Net interest paid is a Palanor calculation: the IMF's primary balance minus its overall balance.
Conflict
Organized violence
News
In the news
- Today on “The Intelligence”: the political beneficiaries of France’s riots; white farmers go back to the land in Zimbabwe; and indemnifying against an AI extinction
The Economist · Bluesky2026-10-20negative · -riots
- On “The Intelligence” John McDermott visits the farms in Zimbabwe where white farmers are returning to land taken from them a quarter-century ago bit.ly/4zN4XAK
The Economist · Bluesky2026-10-20neutral
- A new generation of white farmers in Zimbabwe have—remarkably—entered into joint ventures with the black recipients of stolen farms. Register for free to learn what this means for the country
The Economist · Bluesky2026-10-18neutral
- The uplifting story of one of Zimbabwe’s pioneering women rangers
Mongabay2026-10-16neutral
- A new generation of white farmers in Zimbabwe have—remarkably—entered into joint ventures with the black recipients of stolen farms. Register for free to learn what this means for the country
The Economist · Bluesky2026-10-16neutral
- The disastrous legacy of Robert Mugabe’s seizure of mostly white-owned farms still holds Zimbabwe back. Register for free to learn how, 25 years later, farmers are adapting bit.ly/4hMuimS
Photo: Getty Images
The Economist · Bluesky2026-10-12neutral
- A new generation of white farmers in Zimbabwe have—remarkably—entered into joint ventures with the black recipients of stolen farms. Register for free to learn what this means for the country
The Economist · Bluesky2026-10-08neutral
- The disastrous legacy of Robert Mugabe’s seizure of mostly white-owned farms still holds Zimbabwe back. Register for free to learn how, 25 years later, farmers are adapting
The Economist · Bluesky2026-10-06neutral
- Tsingshan's Zimbabwe steel unit partners with state rail firm to boost haulage capacity reut.rs/4hNHdoD
Reuters · Bluesky2026-10-05positive · +boost
- A helicopter carrying six people has crashed in Zimbabwe, and officials say there appear to be no survivors.
The Associated Press · Bluesky2026-09-30neutral
- Helicopter crashes in northeastern Zimbabwe with no survivors, government spokesperson says reut.rs/4hlwe6T
Reuters · Bluesky2026-09-30neutral
- Zimbabwe secures funds for key commodity gateway upgrade
MINING.COM · Copper2026-09-22positive · +upgrade
Headlines that name Zimbabwe, matched by name with fixed rules (a wrong match is worse than a missing one). Tone is read from each headline’s own words; no model reads or summarizes an article, and other publishers’ stories link out.
Company graph
Companies headquartered in Zimbabwe
Palanor’s company graph holds 1 entities headquartered here (GLEIF headquarters address, else legal address).
Signals
Every series about Zimbabwe
Grouped by theme, the most-read first. All 51 in the Library.
Growth and output1
- Zimbabwe · GDP · USD bn (current)record high since 1990; 1y +23.4%$51.2bn2025
Energy and resources8
- Lithium Mine Production Share: Zimbabwerecord high since 2017; 1y +0.685 pts9.66%2025
- Lithium Mine Production: Zimbabwerecord high since 2017; 1y +40.0%28,0002025
- Palladium Mine Production Share: Zimbabwerecord high since 2017; 1y +0.723 pts7.73%2025
- Palladium Mine Production: Zimbabwe72nd percentile since 2017; lowest since 2022; 1y −1.3%15,000 kilograms2025
- Platinum Mine Production Share: Zimbabwe83rd percentile since 2017; 1y +0.309 pts10.6%2025
- Platinum Mine Production: Zimbabwe72nd percentile since 2017; lowest since 2022; 1y −2.2%18,000 kilograms2025
- Lithium Reserves: Zimbabwerecord high since 2018; 1y +4.2%500,0002025
- Platinum-Group Metals Reserves: Zimbabwerecord high since 2018; 1y +8.3%1,300,000 kilograms2025
Conflict and geopolitics1 of 5
- Zimbabwe · Organized-Violence Deaths (UCDP, annual)record low since 1989; 1y unchanged0 deaths2025
AI stance and technology1
- AI User Share: Zimbabwe (Microsoft AI Diffusion)1y +2.00 pts8.9% of people aged 15-642026-06-30
More about this country2
- Zimbabwe · IMF Credit Outstanding · USD bn (IMF)record low since Apr 1981; 1y unchanged$0bn2026-09-01
- Zimbabwe · IMF Credit Outstanding, % of GDPrecord low since 1990; 1y unchanged0% of GDP2025
Peers
Elsewhere in Africa
Alphabetical. Palanor does not rank countries.
AlgeriaAngolaBeninBotswanaBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryBurkina FasoBurundiCabo VerdeCameroonCentral African RepublicChadComorosCongoCôte d'IvoireDjiboutiDR CongoEgyptEquatorial GuineaEritreaEswatiniEthiopiaGabonGambiaGhanaGuineaGuinea-BissauKenyaLesothoLiberiaLibyaMadagascarMalawiMaliMauritaniaMauritiusMoroccoMozambiqueNamibiaNigerNigeriaRéunionRwandaSao Tome and PrincipeSenegalSeychellesSierra LeoneSomaliaSouth AfricaSouth SudanSudanTanzaniaTogoTunisiaUgandaZambia