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Africa
Page last updated: July 24, 2024
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.
Southeastern Africa, bordering the Mozambique Channel, between South Africa and Tanzania
18 15 S, 35 00 E
Africa
Total : 799,380 km²
Land: 786,380 km²
Water: 13,000 km²
Slightly more than five times the size of Georgia; slightly less than twice the size of California
Area comparison map.:
Total: 4,783 km
Border countries (6): Malawi 1498 km; South Africa 496 km; Eswatini 108 km; Tanzania 840 km; Zambia 439 km; Zimbabwe 1,402 km
2,470 km
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Tropical to subtropical
Mostly coastal lowlands, uplands in center, high plateaus in northwest, mountains in west
Highest point: Monte Binga 2,436 m
Lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
Mean elevation: 345 m
Coal, titanium, natural gas, hydropower, tantalum, graphite
Agricultural land: 56.3% (2018 est.)
Arable land: 6.4% (2018 est.)
Permanent crops: 0.3% (2018 est.)
Permanent pasture: 49.6% (2018 est.)
Forest: 43.7% (2018 est.)
Other: 0% (2018 est.)
1,180 km² (2012)
Fresh water lake(s): Lake Malawi (shared with Malawi and Tanzania) - 22,490
Rio Zambeze (Zambezi) river mouth (shared with Zambia [s]), Angola, Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe) - 2,740 km; Rio Limpopo river mouth (shared with South Africa [s], Botswana, and Zimbabwe) - 1,800 km
Note – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth
Indian Ocean drainage: Zambezi (1,332,412 km²)
Three large populations clusters are found along the southern coast between Maputo and Inhambane, in the central area between Beira and Chimoio along the Zambezi River, and in and around the northern cities of Nampula, Cidade de Nacala, and Pemba; the northwest and southwest are the least populated areas as shown in this population distribution map
Severe droughts; devastating cyclones and floods in central and southern provinces
The Zambezi River flows through the north-central and most fertile part of the country
Total: 33,350,954
Male: 16,449,734
Female: 16,901,220 (2024 est.)
Comparison rankings: female 44; male 46; total 46
Noun: Mozambican(s)
Adjective: Mozambican
African 99% (Makhuwa, Tsonga, Lomwe, Sena, and others), Mestizo 0.8%, other (includes European, Indian, Pakistani, Chinese) 0.2% (2017 est.)
Makhuwa 26.1%, Portuguese (official) 16.6%, Tsonga 8.6%, Nyanja 8.1, Sena 7.1%, Lomwe 7.1%, Chuwabo 4.7%, Ndau 3.8%, Tswa 3.8%, other Mozambican languages 11.8%, other 0.5%, unspecified 1.8% (2017 est.)
Roman Catholic 27.2%, Muslim 18.9%, Zionist Christian 15.6%, Evangelical/Pentecostal 15.3%, Anglican 1.7%, other 4.8%, none 13.9%, unspecified 2.5% (2017 est.)
Mozambique is a poor, sparsely populated country with high fertility and mortality rates and a rapidly growing youthful population – 45% of the population is younger than 15, as of 2020. Mozambique’s high poverty rate is sustained by natural disasters, disease, high population growth, low agricultural productivity, and the unequal distribution of wealth. The country’s birth rate is among the world’s highest, averaging around 5 children per woman (and higher in rural areas) for at least the last three decades. The sustained high level of fertility reflects gender inequality, low contraceptive use, early marriages and childbearing, and a lack of education, particularly among women. The high population growth rate is somewhat restrained by the country’s high HIV/AIDS and overall mortality rates. Mozambique ranks among the worst in the world for HIV/AIDS prevalence, HIV/AIDS deaths, and life expectancy at birth, as of 2022.
Mozambique is predominantly a country of emigration, but internal, rural-urban migration has begun to grow. Mozambicans, primarily from the country’s southern region, have been migrating to South Africa for work for more than a century. Additionally, approximately 1.7 million Mozambicans fled to Malawi, South Africa, and other neighboring countries between 1979 and 1992 to escape from civil war. Labor migrants have usually been men from rural areas whose crops have failed or who are unemployed and have headed to South Africa to work as miners; multiple generations of the same family often become miners. Since the abolition of apartheid in South Africa in 1991, other job opportunities have opened to Mozambicans, including in the informal and manufacturing sectors, but mining remains their main source of employment.
0-14 years: 44.7% (male 7,548,247/female 7,350,012)
15-64 years: 52.4% (male 8,428,457/female 9,061,065)
65 years and over: 2.9% (2024 est.) (male 473,030/female 490,143)
2023 population pyramid:
Total dependency ratio: 86.1
Youth dependency ratio: 81.3
Elderly dependency ratio: 4.8
Potential support ratio: 20.8 (2021 est.)
Total: 17.3 years (2024 est.)
Male: 16.7 years
Female: 17.9 years
2.54% (2024 est.)
36.5 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
9.6 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
-1.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Three large populations clusters are found along the southern coast between Maputo and Inhambane, in the central area between Beira and Chimoio along the Zambezi River, and in and around the northern cities of Nampula, Cidade de Nacala, and Pemba; the northwest and southwest are the least populated areas as shown in this population distribution map
Urban population: 38.8% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 4.24% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Total population growth rate v. urban population growth rate, 2000-2030
1.852 million Matola, 1.163 million MAPUTO (capital), 969,000 Nampula (2023)
At birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.97 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
19.2 years (2011 est.)
Note: data represents median age at first birth among women 20-49
127 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)
Total: 58.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male: 60.1 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 56.2 deaths/1,000 live births
Total population: 58.3 years (2024 est.)
Male: 57.1 years
Female: 59.6 years
4.66 children born/woman (2024 est.)
2.29 (2024 est.)
27.1% (2015)
Improved: urban: 93.4% of population
Rural: 61.5% of population
Total: 73.3% of population
Unimproved: urban: 6.6% of population
Rural: 38.5% of population
Total: 26.7% of population (2020 est.)
7.6% of GDP (2020)
0.09 physicians/1,000 population (2020)
0.7 beds/1,000 population (2011)
Improved: urban: 71.9% of population (2015 est.)
Rural: 24.7% of population
Total: 42.2% of population
Unimproved: urban: 28.1% of population
Rural: 75.3% of population
Total: 57.8% of population (2020 est.)
Degree of risk: very high (2023)
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases: malaria, dengue fever, and sexually transmitted diseases: HIV/AIDS (2024)
Water contact diseases: schistosomiasis
Animal contact diseases: rabies
Note: on 31 August 2023, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Travel Alert for polio in Africa; Mozambique is currently considered a high risk to travelers for circulating vaccine-derived polioviruses (cVDPV); vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV) is a strain of the weakened poliovirus that was initially included in oral polio vaccine (OPV) and that has changed over time and behaves more like the wild or naturally occurring virus; this means it can be spread more easily to people who are unvaccinated against polio and who come in contact with the stool or respiratory secretions, such as from a sneeze, of an “infected” person who received oral polio vaccine; the CDC recommends that before any international travel, anyone unvaccinated, incompletely vaccinated, or with an unknown polio vaccination status should complete the routine polio vaccine series; before travel to any high-risk destination, the CDC recommends that adults who previously completed the full, routine polio vaccine series receive a single, lifetime booster dose of polio vaccine
7.2% (2016)
Total: 1.46 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Beer: 1.03 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Wine: 0.22 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Spirits: 0.21 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Other alcohols: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Total: 14.3% (2020 est.)
Male: 23% (2020 est.)
Female: 5.6% (2020 est.)
14.6% (2019/20)
63.7% (2023 est.)
6.3% of GDP (2020 est.)
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 63.4%
Male: 74.1%
Female: 53.8% (2021)
Total: 10 years
Male: 10 years
Female: 9 years (2017)
Increased migration of the population to urban and coastal areas with adverse environmental consequences; desertification; soil erosion; deforestation; water pollution caused by artisanal mining; pollution of surface and coastal waters; wildlife preservation (elephant poaching for ivory)
Party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands
Signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Tropical to subtropical
Agricultural land: 56.3% (2018 est.)
Arable land: 6.4% (2018 est.)
Permanent crops: 0.3% (2018 est.)
Permanent pasture: 49.6% (2018 est.)
Forest: 43.7% (2018 est.)
Other: 0% (2018 est.)
Urban population: 38.8% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 4.24% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Total population growth rate v. urban population growth rate, 2000-2030
Severe localized food insecurity:
Due to shortfall in agricultural production and economic downturn - the number of people in need of food assistance is expected to rise above the 1.86 million estimated in 2021-2022 because of three key factors; firstly, higher year‑on‑year prices of food and fuel are reducing households’ purchasing power, worsening their economic access to food, particularly for low-income households; secondly, the impact of extreme weather events on agricultural production in central and southern provinces in 2022 is likely to mean that farming households in the affected areas have both low food supplies from their own production and curtailed income-earning opportunities from crop sales, impinging on their food availability and economic access to food; thirdly, there has been an increase in attacks by non‑state armed groups in the northern province of Cabo Delgado in 2022
(2022)
6.46% of GDP (2018 est.)
4.17% of GDP (2018 est.)
Particulate matter emissions: 16.45 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: 7.94 megatons (2016 est.)
Methane emissions: 16.26 megatons (2020 est.)
Municipal solid waste generated annually: 2.5 million tons (2014 est.)
Municipal solid waste recycled annually: 25,000 tons (2014 est.)
Percent of municipal solid waste recycled: 1% (2014 est.)
Fresh water lake(s): Lake Malawi (shared with Malawi and Tanzania) - 22,490
Rio Zambeze (Zambezi) river mouth (shared with Zambia [s]), Angola, Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe) - 2,740 km; Rio Limpopo river mouth (shared with South Africa [s], Botswana, and Zimbabwe) - 1,800 km
Note – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth
Indian Ocean drainage: Zambezi (1,332,412 km²)
Municipal: 370 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Industrial: 30 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Agricultural: 1.08 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
217.1 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
Conventional long form: Republic of Mozambique
Conventional short form: Mozambique
Local long form: Republica de Mocambique
Local short form: Mocambique
Former: Portuguese East Africa, People's Republic of Mozambique
Etymology: named for the offshore island of Mozambique; the island was apparently named after Mussa al-BIK, an influential Arab slave trader who set himself up as sultan on the island in the 15th century
Presidential republic
Name: Maputo
Geographic coordinates: 25 57 S, 32 35 E
Time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Etymology: reputedly named after the Maputo River, which drains into Maputo Bay south of the city
10 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia), 1 city (cidade)*; Cabo Delgado, Gaza, Inhambane, Manica, Maputo, Cidade de Maputo*, Nampula, Niassa, Sofala, Tete, Zambezia
25 June 1975 (from Portugal)
Independence Day, 25 June (1975)
History: previous 1975, 1990; latest adopted 16 November 2004, effective 21 December 2004
Amendments: proposed by the president of the republic or supported by at least one third of the Assembly of the Republic membership; passage of amendments affecting constitutional provisions, including the independence and sovereignty of the state, the republican form of government, basic rights and freedoms, and universal suffrage, requires at least a two-thirds majority vote by the Assembly and approval in a referendum; referenda not required for passage of other amendments; amended 2007, 2018
Mixed legal system of Portuguese civil law and customary law
Has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Mozambique
Dual citizenship recognized: no
Residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years
18 years of age; universal
Chief of state: President Filipe Jacinto NYUSI (since 15 January 2015)
Head of government: Prime Minister Adriano MALEIANE (since 3 March 2022)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
Elections/appointments: president elected directly by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for 2 consecutive terms); election last held on 15 October 2019 (next to be held on 9 October 2024); prime minister appointed by the president
Election results:
2019: Filipe NYUSI reelected president in first round; percent of vote - Filipe NYUSI (FRELIMO) 73.0%, Ossufo MOMADE (RENAMO) 21.9%, Daviz SIMANGO (MDM) 5.1%
2014: Filipe NYUSI elected president in first round; percent of vote - Filipe NYUSI (FRELIMO) 57.0%, Afonso DHLAKAMA (RENAMO) 36.6%, Daviz SIMANGO (MDM) 6.4%
Description: unicameral Assembly of the Republic or Assembleia da Republica (250 seats; 248 members elected in multi-seat constituencies by party-list proportional representation vote and 2 members representing Mozambicans abroad directly elected by simple majority vote; members serve 5-year terms)
Elections: last held on 15 October 2019 (next to be held on 9 October 2024)
Election results: percent of vote by party - FRELIMO 71%, RENAMO 23%, MDM 4%; seats by party - FRELIMO 184, RENAMO 60, MDM 6; composition - men 142, women 108, percentage women 43.2%
Highest court(s): Supreme Court (consists of the court president, vice president, and 5 judges); Constitutional Council (consists of 7 judges); note - the Higher Council of the Judiciary Magistracy is responsible for judiciary management and discipline
Judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court president appointed by the president of the republic; vice president appointed by the president in consultation with the Higher Council of the Judiciary (CSMJ) and ratified by the Assembly of the Republic; other judges elected by the Assembly; judges serve 5-year renewable terms; Constitutional Council judges appointed - 1 by the president, 5 by the Assembly, and 1 by the CSMJ; judges serve 5-year nonrenewable terms
Subordinate courts: Administrative Court (capital city only); provincial courts or Tribunais Judicias de Provincia; District Courts or Tribunais Judicias de Districto; customs courts; maritime courts; courts marshal; labor courts; community courts
Democratic Movement of Mozambique (Movimento Democratico de Mocambique) or MDM [vacant]
Liberation Front of Mozambique (Frente de Liberatacao de Mocambique) or FRELIMO [Filipe NYUSI]
Mozambican National Resistance (Resistencia Nacional Mocambicana) or RENAMO [Ossufo MOMADE]
ACP, AfDB, AU, C, CD, CPLP, EITI (compliant country), FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NAM, OIC, OIF (observer), OPCW, SADC, UN, UNCDF, UNCTAD, UNDP, UNDSS, UNECA, UNEP, UNESCO, UNFPA, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNODC, UNOPS, UNV, UNWTO, Union Latina, UPU, WCO, WFP, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Three equal horizontal bands of green (top), black, and yellow with a red isosceles triangle based on the hoist side; the black band is edged in white; centered in the triangle is a yellow five-pointed star bearing a crossed rifle and hoe in black superimposed on an open white book; green represents the riches of the land, white peace, black the African continent, yellow the country's minerals, and red the struggle for independence; the rifle symbolizes defense and vigilance, the hoe refers to the country's agriculture, the open book stresses the importance of education, and the star represents Marxism and internationalism
Note: one of only two national flags featuring a firearm, the other is Guatemala
National colors: green, black, yellow, white, red
Name: "Patria Amada" (Lovely Fatherland)
Lyrics/music: Salomao J. MANHICA/unknown
Note: adopted 2002
Total World Heritage Sites: 1 (cultural)
Selected World Heritage Site locales: Island of Mozambique
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
$50.631 billion (2023 est.)
$48.22 billion (2022 est.)
$46.206 billion (2021 est.)
Note: data in 2021 dollars
5% (2023 est.)
4.36% (2022 est.)
2.38% (2021 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency
$1,500 (2023 est.)
$1,500 (2022 est.)
$1,400 (2021 est.)
Note: data in 2021 dollars
$20.625 billion (2023 est.)
Note: data in current dollars at official exchange rate
7.13% (2023 est.)
10.28% (2022 est.)
6.41% (2021 est.)
Note: annual % change based on consumer prices
Fitch rating: CCC (2019)
Moody's rating: Caa2 (2019)
Standard & Poors rating: CCC+ (2019)
Note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.
Agriculture: 23.9% (2017 est.)
Industry: 19.3% (2017 est.)
Services: 56.8% (2017 est.)
Comparison rankings: services 144; industry 156; agriculture 33
Household consumption: 69.7% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 27.2% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 21.7% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 13.9% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 38.3% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -70.6% (2017 est.)
Cassava, sugarcane, maize, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, beans, bananas, onions, rice, coconuts (2022)
Note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
Aluminum, petroleum products, chemicals (fertilizer, soap, paints), textiles, cement, glass, asbestos, tobacco, food, beverages
10.43% (2023 est.)
Note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency
15.191 million (2023 est.)
Note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work
3.54% (2023 est.)
3.62% (2022 est.)
3.98% (2021 est.)
Note: % of labor force seeking employment
Total: 8.1% (2021 est.)
Male: 8.1%
Female: 8.2%
46.1% (2014 est.)
Note: % of population with income below national poverty line
50.5 (2019 est.)
Note: index (0-100) of income distribution; higher values represent greater inequality
Lowest 10%: 1.6% (2019 est.)
Highest 10%: 41.2% (2019 est.)
Note: % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population
3.22% of GDP (2023 est.)
1.34% of GDP (2022 est.)
4.57% of GDP (2021 est.)
Note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities
Revenues: $4.569 billion (2019 est.)
Expenditures: $4.591 billion (2019 est.)
-5.6% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
78.62% of GDP (2022 est.)
84.16% of GDP (2021 est.)
101.39% of GDP (2020 est.)
Note: central government debt as a % of GDP
23.25% (of GDP) (2022 est.)
Note: central government tax revenue as a % of GDP
-$2.426 billion (2023 est.)
-$6.88 billion (2022 est.)
-$3.436 billion (2021 est.)
Note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars
$9.289 billion (2023 est.)
$9.409 billion (2022 est.)
$6.526 billion (2021 est.)
Note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars
India 22%, South Africa 9%, South Korea 8%, Italy 7%, China 6% (2022)
Note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports
Coal, aluminum, coke, natural gas, gold (2022)
Note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
$11.18 billion (2023 est.)
$15.932 billion (2022 est.)
$10.534 billion (2021 est.)
Note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars
South Africa 23%, South Korea 20%, China 12%, India 10%, Democratic Republic of the Congo 5% (2022)
Note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
Ships, refined petroleum, iron alloys, chromium ore, refined copper (2022)
Note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
$3.515 billion (2023 est.)
$2.939 billion (2022 est.)
$3.781 billion (2021 est.)
Note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars
$10.91 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
$10.48 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
Meticais (MZM) per US dollar -
Exchange rates:
63.886 (2023 est.)
63.851 (2022 est.)
65.465 (2021 est.)
69.465 (2020 est.)
62.548 (2019 est.)
Electrification - total population: 33.2% (2022 est.)
Electrification - urban areas: 79.4%
Electrification - rural areas: 5%
Installed generating capacity: 2.77 million kW (2022 est.)
Consumption: 13.09 billion kWh (2022 est.)
Exports: 11.096 billion kWh (2022 est.)
Imports: 8.219 billion kWh (2022 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 3.052 billion kWh (2022 est.)
Comparison rankings: transmission/distribution losses 141; imports 32; exports 23; consumption 90; installed generating capacity 112
Fossil fuels: 17.6% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)
Solar: 0.4% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)
Hydroelectricity: 81.4% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)
Biomass and waste: 0.6% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)
Production: 9.015 million metric tons (2022 est.)
Consumption: 11,000 metric tons (2022 est.)
Exports: 9.413 million metric tons (2022 est.)
Imports: 9,000 metric tons (2022 est.)
Proven reserves: 1.792 billion metric tons (2022 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 40,000 bbl/day (2022 est.)
Production: 5.338 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)
Consumption: 1.347 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)
Exports: 3.963 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)
Proven reserves: 2.832 trillion cubic meters (2021 est.)
8.423 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 59,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 5.568 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 2.796 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)
5.426 million Btu/person (2022 est.)
Total subscriptions: 29,000 (2022 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: (2022 est.) less than 1
Total subscriptions: 13.871 million (2022 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 42 (2022 est.)
General assessment: one of the first countries in the region to embark upon telecom reform and to open the sector to competition; the mobile segment in particular has shown strong growth; additional competition followed in late 2020; a new licensing regime ensured that by mid-2019 all operators had been provided with universal licenses, enabling them to offer all types of telephony and data services; mobile, fixed-line and broadband penetration rates remain far below the average for the region; in recent years the government has enforced the registration of SIM cards, but with varying success; at the end of 2016 almost five million unregistered SIM cards were deactivated but poor monitoring meant that the process was revisited in mid-2019 and again in late 2020; the high cost of international bandwidth had long hampered internet use, though the landing of two international submarine cables (SEACOM and EASSy) has reduced the cost of bandwidth and so led to drastic reductions in broadband retail prices as well as a significant jump in available bandwidth; there is some cross-platform competition, with DSL, cable, fibre, WiMAX, and mobile broadband options available, though fixed broadband options can be limited to urban areas; improvements can be expected from the ongoing rollout of a national fiber backbone networks and of upgrades to mobile infrastructure (2022)
Domestic: fixed-line less than 1 per 100 and nearly 43 per 100 mobile-cellular teledensity (2021)
International: country code - 258; landing points for the EASSy and SEACOM/ Tata TGN-Eurasia fiber-optic submarine cable systems linking numerous east African countries, the Middle East and Asia ; satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 3 Indian Ocean); TdM contracts for Itelsat for satellite broadband and bulk haul services (2020)
1 state-run TV station supplemented by private TV station; Portuguese state TV's African service, RTP Africa, and Brazilian-owned TV Miramar are available; state-run radio provides nearly 100% territorial coverage and broadcasts in multiple languages; a number of privately owned and community-operated stations; transmissions of multiple international broadcasters are available (2019)
.mz
Total: 5.44 million (2021 est.)
Percent of population: 17% (2021 est.)
Total: 70,000 (2020 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 0.2 (2020 est.)
Number of registered air carriers: 2 (2020)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 11
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 540,124 (2018)
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 4.78 million (2018) mt-km
C9
92 (2024)
972 km gas, 278 km refined products (2013)
Total: 4,787 km (2014)
Narrow gauge: 4,787 km (2014) 1.067-m gauge
Total: 30,562 km
Paved: 5,958 km
Unpaved: 24,604 km (2018)
460 km (2010) (Zambezi River navigable to Tete and along Cahora Bassa Lake)
Total: 36 (2023)
By type: general cargo 9, other 27
Total ports: 11 (2024)
Large: 0
Medium: 2
Small: 5
Very small: 4
Ports with oil terminals: 3
Key ports: Beira, Chinde, Inhambane, Maputo, Mocambique, Pebane, Porto Belo
Armed Forces for the Defense of Mozambique (Forcas Armadas de Defesa de Mocambique, FADM): Mozambique Army (Ramo do Exercito), Mozambique Navy (Marinha de Guerra de Mocambique, MGM), Mozambique Air Force (Forca Aerea de Mocambique, FAM)
Ministry of Interior: Mozambique National Police (PRM), the National Criminal Investigation Service (SERNIC), Rapid Intervention Unit (UIR; police special forces), Border Security Force; other security forces include the Presidential Guard and the Force for the Protection of High-Level Individuals (2024)
Note 1: the FADM and other security forces are referred to collectively as the Defense and Security Forces (DFS)
Note 2: the PRM, SERNIC, and the UIR are responsible for law enforcement and internal security; the Border Security Force is responsible for protecting the country’s international borders and for carrying out police duties within 24 miles of borders
Note 3: the Presidential Guard provides security for the president, and the Force for the Protection of High-level Individuals provides security for senior-level officials at the national and provincial levels
Note 4: in 2023, the Mozambique Government legalized local militias that have been assisting security forces operating in Cabo Delgado against Islamic militants since 2020; this Local Force is comprised of ex-combatants and other civilians and receives training, uniforms, weapons, and logistical support from the FADM
1.5% of GDP (2023 est.)
1.3% of GDP (2022 est.)
1.2% of GDP (2021 est.)
1.1% of GDP (2020 est.)
1.2% of GDP (2019 est.)
Information limited and varied; estimated 12,000 active personnel (11,000 Army and about 1,000 Air Force and Navy) (2023)
The FADM's inventory consists primarily of Soviet-era equipment, although in recent years it has received limited quantities of more modern equipment from a variety of countries, mostly as aid/donations (2023)
Registration for military service is mandatory for all men and women at 18 years of age; 18-35 years of age for selective compulsory military service; 18 years of age for voluntary service for men and women; 24-month service obligation (2023)
The FADM is responsible for external security, cooperating with police on internal security, and responding to natural disasters and other emergencies; the current primary focus of the FADM is countering an insurgency driven by militants with ties to the Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS) terrorist group in the northern province of Cabo Delgado, an area known for rich liquid natural gas deposits; insurgent attacks in the province began in 2017, and the fighting has left an estimated 6,000 dead and 1 million displaced; several countries from the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) and the EU, as well as Rwanda and the US have provided various forms of military assistance to the FADM; the SADC countries and Rwanda have sent more than 3,000 military and security personnel, while some EU member states and the US have provided training assistance; in early 2024, the SADC began withdrawing personnel, although the insurgency remained active (2024)
Terrorist group(s): Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham - Mozambique (ISIS-M)
Note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in the Terrorism reference guide
Refugees (country of origin): 10,655 (Burundi) (refugees and asylum seekers) (2023); 9,340 (Democratic Republic of Congo) (refugees and asylum seekers) (2024)
IDPs: 850,599 (north Mozambique, violence between the government and an opposition group, violence associated with extremists groups in 2018, political violence 2019) (2023)
A transit country for large shipments of heroin and methamphetamine originating from Afghanistan to primarily South Africa