Overview: Agriculture employs about 75% of the labor force and supplies almost 40% of exports. The manufacturing sector produces a variety of goods and contributes about 25% to GDP. Mining accounts for about 5% of both GDP and employment, but supplies minerals and metals for about 40% of exports.

GDP: $5.5 billion, per capita $540; real growth rate 6.0% (1988 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 12.5% (1987)

Unemployment rate: 20% (1986 est.)

Budget: revenues $2.2 billion; expenditures $2.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $260 million (FY88 est.)

Exports: $1.6 billion (f.o.b., 1988); @m5commodities--agricultural 34% (tobacco 21%, other 13%), manufactures 19%, gold 11%, ferrochrome 11%, cotton 6%; @m5partners--Europe 55% (EC 41%, Netherlands 6%, other 8%), Africa 22% (South Africa 12%, other 10%), US 6%

Imports: $1.1 billion (c.i.f., 1988); @m5commodities--machinery and transportation equipment 37%, other manufactures 22%, chemicals 16%, fuels 15%; @m5partners--EC 31%, Africa 29% (South Africa 21%, other 8%), US 8%, Japan 4%

External debt: $2.5 billion (December 1988)

Industrial production: growth rate 2.6% (1986 est.)

Electricity: 2,036,000 kW capacity; 5,457 million kWh produced, 560 kWh per capita (1988)

Industries: mining, steel, clothing and footwear, chemicals, foodstuffs, fertilizer, beverage, transportation equipment, wood products

Agriculture: tobacco, corn, tea, sugar, cotton; livestock

Aid: NA

Currency: Zimbabwean dollar (plural--dollars); 1 Zimbabwean dollar (Z$) = 100 cents

Exchange rates: Zimbabwean dollars (Z$) per US$1--1.9650 (March 1988), 1.8018 (1988), 1.6611 (1987), 1.6650 (1986), 1.6119 (1985)

Fiscal year: 1 July-30 June

NOTE: The information regarding Zimbabwe on this page is re-published from the 1989 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Zimbabwe Economy 1989 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Zimbabwe Economy 1989 should be addressed to the CIA.