# Mozambique and Zimbabwe compared

Mozambique and Zimbabwe side by side: 42 shared sourced indicators across 9 domains, and the 3 events their chronicles record of each other.

Canonical: https://terralore.co/compare/moz-vs-zwe
Updated: 2026-08-10 (latest of the two dossiers' refreshes and the two chronicles' verification dates)

Two sourced records set beside each other — nothing on this page was written for the pair. Every figure is the same observation, with the same source, as on the two national dossiers; every event is the same record, with the same sources, as on its own chronicle. Figures are compared, never graded. A "—" is an absence in the source data, never a zero; each value shows its own observation year — vintages differ by indicator and nation.

## Formation

- Mozambique: 1975 — Mozambique becomes independent of Portugal
- Zimbabwe: 18 April 1980 — Zimbabwe becomes independent of Britain

## Economy

| Metric | Mozambique | Observed | Zimbabwe | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GDP | $23 B | 2024 | $42 B | 2024 |
| GDP per capita | $657 | 2024 | $2,497 | 2024 |
| GDP growth | 2.1% | 2024 | 1.7% | 2024 |
| Inflation | 4.1% | 2024 | 104.7% | 2022 |
| Trade openness | 95.7% | 2024 | 41.5% | 2024 |

## Society

| Metric | Mozambique | Observed | Zimbabwe | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 35 m | 2024 | 17 m | 2024 |
| Life expectancy | 63.8 yrs | 2024 | 63.1 yrs | 2024 |
| Urban population | 36.4% | 2024 | 39.9% | 2024 |
| Fertility rate | 4.7 | 2024 | 3.7 | 2024 |

## Governance

| Metric | Mozambique | Observed | Zimbabwe | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voice & accountability | 39.2 | 2024 | 34.8 | 2024 |
| Political stability | 35.9 | 2024 | 48.5 | 2024 |
| Government effectiveness | 37.4 | 2024 | 32.1 | 2024 |
| Regulatory quality | 42.8 | 2024 | 36.3 | 2024 |
| Rule of law | 36.4 | 2024 | 36.1 | 2024 |
| Control of corruption | 26.4 | 2024 | 22.5 | 2024 |

## Health

| Metric | Mozambique | Observed | Zimbabwe | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health spending | 8.5% | 2023 | 2.9% | 2023 |
| Physicians | 0.17 | 2022 | 0.14 | 2023 |
| Under-5 mortality | 59.4 | 2024 | 64.7 | 2024 |
| Measles immunisation | 65.0% | 2024 | 90.0% | 2024 |
| Safe drinking water | 27.5% | 2024 | 25.5% | 2024 |

## Education

| Metric | Mozambique | Observed | Zimbabwe | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adult literacy | 61.7% | 2022 | 93.2% | 2019 |
| Education spending | 6.0% | 2022 | 0.4% | 2023 |
| Primary enrolment | 119.2% | 2022 | 93.1% | 2024 |
| Secondary enrolment | 37.2% | 2017 | 52.4% | 2013 |
| Tertiary enrolment | 7.5% | 2018 | 7.7% | 2024 |

## Technology

| Metric | Mozambique | Observed | Zimbabwe | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R&D spending | 0.3% | 2015 | — | — |
| Researchers (per million) | 44 | 2015 | 95 | 2012 |
| Internet users | 20.5% | 2024 | 41.6% | 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptions | 50 | 2024 | 94 | 2024 |
| High-tech exports | 3.6% | 2024 | 2.8% | 2024 |

## Geography

| Metric | Mozambique | Observed | Zimbabwe | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Land area | 786,380 km² | 2023 | 386,850 km² | 2023 |
| Forest area | 45.8% | 2023 | 44.7% | 2023 |
| Agricultural land | 52.8% | 2023 | 41.8% | 2023 |
| CO₂ per capita (t) | 0.3 | 2024 | 0.8 | 2024 |
| Renewable energy | 76.9% | 2021 | 82.4% | 2021 |

## Resources

| Metric | Mozambique | Observed | Zimbabwe | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resource rents | 14.9% | 2021 | 6.4% | 2021 |
| Oil rents | 0.1% | 2021 | 0.0% | 2021 |
| Mineral rents | 0.1% | 2021 | 4.2% | 2021 |
| Forest rents | 7.3% | 2021 | 1.8% | 2021 |
| Electricity access | 36.0% | 2023 | 62.0% | 2023 |
| Lithium (mined) | — | — | 28.0 kt | 2025 |

## Military

| Metric | Mozambique | Observed | Zimbabwe | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Military burden | 2.0% | 2024 | 0.4% | 2024 |
| Defense spending | $450 M | 2024 | $98 M | 2024 |
| Armed forces | 11,000 | 2020 | 51,000 | 2020 |

Each metric is also ranked across all nations: https://terralore.co/rankings (markdown twins at /rankings/<metric>.md). Full dossiers: https://terralore.co/country/MOZ.md and https://terralore.co/country/ZWE.md.

## Entangled histories (3 events)

Events in which either nation's sourced chronicle names the other — including under earlier names of the same state. Each is the record exactly as its own chronicle carries it, with that chronicle's sources.

- 14th–15th century: **Kilwa controls the Sofala gold trade** — The sultanate of Kilwa dominates the export of interior gold through Sofala, drawing wealth from the Zimbabwe and Mutapa goldfields into the wider Islamic world. (from the Mozambique chronicle; sources: Sofala; Sofala)
- c. 15th century: **Rise of the Mutapa empire** — The Mutapa (Mwenemutapa) empire emerged toward the Zambezi, inheriting Great Zimbabwe's gold trade and ruling much of the northern plateau and parts of present-day Mozambique. (from the Zimbabwe chronicle; sources: Zimbabwe: History; Mutapa Empire; Torwa: historical state, Africa)
- c. 1966–1979: **The liberation war (Second Chimurenga)** — Guerrilla forces of ZANU (ZANLA) and ZAPU (ZIPRA), based in Mozambique and Zambia, waged an escalating war against the Rhodesian state through the 1970s. (from the Zimbabwe chronicle; sources: Rhodesian Bush War (Second Chimurenga); Zimbabwe: History; Robert Mugabe)

## Sources

- World Development Indicators — World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-14 · https://data.worldbank.org
- Worldwide Governance Indicators (via World Bank API) — Worldwide Governance Indicators / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/worldwide-governance-indicators
- Global Health Observatory (WHO, via World Bank WDI) — WHO / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.who.int/data/gho
- Child mortality & immunisation estimates (UN IGME and WHO/UNICEF, via World Bank WDI) — UNICEF and WHO / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://childmortality.org
- R&D statistics (UNESCO UIS, via World Bank WDI) — UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-15 · https://uis.unesco.org
- ICT indicators (ITU, via World Bank WDI) — ITU / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-15 · https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics
- Military Expenditure Database (via World Development Indicators) — SIPRI / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-14 · https://www.sipri.org/databases/milex
- Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 — U.S. Geological Survey · Public domain (U.S. Government work) · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.usgs.gov/centers/national-minerals-information-center

Chronicle references are cited inline above and resolve in full at https://terralore.co/country/MOZ/chronicle.md and https://terralore.co/country/ZWE/chronicle.md.

Citation template: Terralore, "Mozambique and Zimbabwe compared", terralore.co/compare/moz-vs-zwe, retrieved <YYYY-MM-DD>.