| variable | 1980-1989 | 1990-1999 | 2000-2007 | 2008-2009 | 2010-2019 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| real gdp growth | 0.5 | 6.39 | 8.59 | 6.3 | 4.87 | 5.5 | 2.1 | -0.5 | 0.5 | 2.7 |
| CPI % | 45.98 | 30.45 | 12.06 | 8.1 | 6.83 | 7.0 | 3.2 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 5.2 |
| Unemployment rate | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Debt/GDP % | - | 95.25 | 55.16 | 38.95 | 82.22 | 90.8 | 91.4 | 102.5 | 106.1 | 113.3 |
| Current account balance/GDP % | -12.99 | -15.27 | -9.65 | -12.35 | -29.96 | -10.6 | -11.0 | -14.2 | -43.0 | -39.6 |
Data derived from World Economic Outlook Database. To see main macroeconomic indicator in graphs click here
In the first half of the second millennium A.D., northern Mozambican port towns were frequented by traders from Somalia, Ethiopia, Egypt, Arabia, Persia, and India. The Portuguese were able to wrest much of the coastal trade from Arab Muslims in the centuries after 1500, and they set up their own colonies. Portugal did not relinquish Mozambique until 1975. Large-scale emigration, economic dependence on South Africa, a severe drought, and a prolonged civil war hindered the country's development until the mid-1990s. The ruling Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (FRELIMO) party formally abandoned Marxism in 1989, and a new constitution the following year provided for multiparty elections and a free-market economy. A UN-negotiated peace agreement between FRELIMO and rebel Mozambique National Resistance (RENAMO) forces ended the fighting in 1992. In 2004, Mozambique underwent a delicate transition as Joaquim CHISSANO stepped down after 18 years in office. His elected successor, Armando GUEBUZA, served two terms and then passed executive power to Filipe NYUSI in 2015. RENAMO’s residual armed forces intermittently engaged in a low-level insurgency after 2012, but a 2016 cease-fire eventually led to the two sides signing a comprehensive peace deal in 2019. Since 2017, violent extremists -- who an official ISIS media outlet recognized as ISIS's network in Mozambique for the first time in 2019 -- have been conducting attacks against civilians and security services in the northern province of Cabo Delgado. In 2021, Rwanda and the Southern African Development Community deployed forces to support Mozambique’s efforts to counter the extremist group.
Area: 799,380 sq km km2
Climate: tropical to subtropical
Natural resources: coal, titanium, natural gas, hydropower, tantalum, graphite
Groups: African 99% (Makhuwa, Tsonga, Lomwe, Sena, and others), Mestizo 0.8%, other (includes European, Indian, Pakistani, Chinese) 0.2% (2017 est.)
Languages:
Religions: Catholic 27.3%, Islam 19.1%, Pentecostal 16.7%, Saio/Zione 16.3%, no religion 13.5%, other 4.3%, Anglican 1.7%, unknown 1.2% (2017 est.)
Capital: Maputo
Government type: presidential republic
Chief of state: President Daniel Francisco CHAPO (since 15 January 2025)
Head of government: Prime Minister Maria Benvinda Delfina LEVI (since 17 January 2025)
Description: Assembly of the Republic (Assembleia da Republica) - unicameral
low-income East African economy; subsistence farming dominates labor force; return to growth led by agriculture and extractive industries; Islamist insurgency threatens natural gas projects in north; ongoing foreign debt restructuring and resolution under IMF Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative
aluminum, petroleum products, chemicals (fertilizer, soap, paints), textiles, cement, glass, asbestos, tobacco, food, beverages
GDP by sector: Agriculture: 26.3% (2024 est.), Industry: 24.6% (2024 est.), Services: 38.4% (2024 est.)
Export partners: India 18%, China 13%, South Africa 9%, UAE 6%, Thailand 4% (2023)
Export commodities: coal, natural gas, aluminum, gold, precious stones (2023)
Import partners: South Africa 34%, China 14%, India 13%, UAE 6%, Singapore 3% (2023)
Import commodities: refined petroleum, chromium ore, iron alloys, iron ore, palm oil (2023)
Southeastern Africa, bordering the Mozambique Channel, between South Africa and Tanzania
Military expenditure: 2024: 2% of GDP (2024 est.)
Information derived from worldfactbook.io (Lupon Media), open successor to the CIA World Factbook. Data sourced from World Bank, IMF, UN and other international organizations.