Fewer than half are satisfied with the country's economic situation or their personal living conditions.
Key findings
- A narrow majority (54%) of Mozambicans believe the country is heading in "the right direction," a decline from 71% in 2012.
- Fewer than half (46%) of citizens rate the country's economic condition as "fairly good" or "very good," while 38% view it as "fairly bad" or "very bad." o Only about one-third (35%) of respondents find their personal living conditions satisfactory.
- Reflecting on the past year, only 22% believe the country's economic condition has improved, while twice as many (45%) think it has worsened. o But half (50%) of those surveyed are optimistic that conditions will improve in the next year.
- Most Mozambicans are dissatisfied with the government's handling of key economic issues, including keeping prices stable (79%), creating jobs and narrowing income gaps (both 76%), and improving living standards of the poor (74%). o Seven in 10 citizens (71%) are unhappy with the government's overall management of the economy.
Mozambique's economic landscape has undergone significant changes in recent years. The early 2010s saw relative macroeconomic stability and economic growth, fuelled by investments in natural resources and infrastructure. The country's economic outlook began to deteriorate in the mid-2010s, marked by a sharp decline in growth rates and rising fiscal deficits (360 Mozambique, 2023). Cyclones Idai and Kenneth in 2019 exacerbated the situation by severely damaging infrastructure and displacing thousands (World Bank, 2020). The insurgency in the northern region, which began around 2017, further destabilised the national economy by disrupting local markets, displacing communities, and deterring investment (Boyce, 2021).
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The COVID-19 pandemic compounded these difficulties, disrupting trade and contributing to a global economic slowdown. The number of people living in poverty rose from 13.1 million to 18.9 million, largely due to the impact of COVID-19 on families (World Bank, 2024). Despite these setbacks, Mozambique has seen some recovery in recent years. The World Bank (2024) reported a 5% GDP growth rate in 2023, driven by the start of liquid natural gas production at Coral South and a strong performance in agriculture and services.
In 2022, the government declared the adoption of 20 measures to stimulate growth and improve governance, including reductions in corporate income taxes and the introduction of visa exemptions for citizens of low-risk countries. Within three months, the Economic Reforms Office in the Ministry of Economy and Finance announced that 60% of these measures had been implemented (360 Mozambique, 2023).
Findings from Afrobarometer's most recent survey, conducted in late 2022, show that while a majority of Mozambicans believe the country is heading in the right direction, this share has declined significantly over the past decade. Fewer than half of citizens are satisfied with the country's economic situation or their own living conditions, and only half are optimistic that things will improve in the near future. Large majorities give the government failing grades on its management of economic issues.
Nyasha Mpani Nyasha Mpani is project leader for the Data for Governance Alliance Project, based at the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation.
