Story by Stanley James, Business editor
ZIMBABWE’s economy has recorded notable growth in 2025, underpinned by a bumper agricultural harvest, firm global commodity prices, increased industrial production, and improvements in currency stability and price management.
With only days remaining before the close of the year, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank and the African Development Bank (AfDB) are in agreement that Zimbabwe’s economy is set to expand by 6.6 percent.
This performance positions Zimbabwe as the fastest-growing economy in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2025 and places it at the forefront of growth among Southern African economies.
Economists attribute the positive trajectory to strong performance across key sectors of the economy.
“Last year, there was the devastating effect of the drought, and this has been overturned by the bumper harvest that has seen records being smashed in the production of wheat and tobacco. Even gold output has surpassed the set targets already, an indication of good things to come with the ongoing rains. There are expectations of a further rise in growth projections,” economist, Dr Zack Murerwa said.
“When you see global financiers being satisfied with what is taking place, then there is that assumption that the economy is on the right track, while there are some areas that need to be covered, the current growth trajectory is opening opportunities for further growth,” another economist, Mr Shephard Kembo added.
The economists also note that Zimbabwe’s resilience has resulted in the economy defying local and global headwinds such as climate change, geopolitical tensions, and Covid-19, among others in the past five years.
In fulfilling the aspirations of the National Development Strategy One, Zimbabwe’s economy has been on a growth trajectory since 2021 at 8.5 percent, 2022 at 6.5 percent, 2023 five percent, 2024 at two percent and 2025 at an anticipated 6.6 percent.
