Zimbabwe dominated Africa’s tobacco leaf exports in 2024, accounting for 48.51% of the continent’s total exports and significantly outpacing other major tobacco-producing countries.
According to trade statistics cited in a World Health Organization report released on August 31, 2026, Malawi ranked second with 20.06%, while Tanzania contributed 14.49%. Together, the three countries accounted for more than 83% of Africa’s tobacco leaf exports.
Mozambique followed with a 7.35% share, while Zambia accounted for 6.82%, highlighting the strong concentration of tobacco export activity across Southern and East Africa.
Other exporters recorded much smaller shares. Uganda contributed 1.17%, South Africa 0.89%, the Democratic Republic of Congo 0.26%, Kenya 0.19% and Senegal 0.14%.
The figures highlight Zimbabwe’s leading position in Africa’s tobacco trade while showing the importance of the regional tobacco value chain to agricultural exports. Southern and East African producers continue to account for the overwhelming majority of the continent’s tobacco leaf exports.
For countries such as Zimbabwe, Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia and Mozambique, tobacco remains an important export commodity and source of foreign exchange, while the concentration of exports also points to opportunities to expand processing and value addition within Africa rather than relying primarily on raw tobacco leaf exports.