Maputo, Aug. 28, 2026 (Lusa) - The Mozambican economy grew by 1.7% in the second quarter compared with 2025, the National Statistics Institute (INE) announced, marking the third consecutive quarter of growth following the economic recovery linked to the post-election period and exceeding forecasts.
According to the quarterly national accounts released by the INE, Gross Domestic Product at market prices (GDPmp) accelerated from year-on-year growth of 0.1% in the first quarter to 1.7% between April and June. This result also follows on from the 5.1% expansion recorded in the fourth quarter of 2025, consolidating a path of economic recovery that began at the end of last year.
The INE attributes the performance of economic activity in the second quarter of 2026, first and foremost, to the tertiary sector, which recorded a 2.5% increase, according to the INE's figures for the same indicator.
According to the institute, services were driven mainly by the Hotels and Restaurants sector, which grew by 14.5%, followed by Financial Services at 4.2%. Trade and Repair Services rose by 1.2%, whilst Transport, Storage, Transport Support Activities, Information and Communications grew by 0.7%.
The primary sector also contributed to growth, recording an expansion of 1.8%, driven by the agriculture, livestock, hunting, forestry, logging and related activities sector, which saw a 2.0% increase, the document adds. The mining and quarrying sector grew by 1.7%, whilst fishing recorded a 1.1% decline.
The secondary sector, meanwhile, recorded a 6.0% contraction, as the Manufacturing sector saw output decline by 11.2%, whilst the Electricity, Gas and Water Supply sectors advanced by 7.1% and Construction grew by 0.8%.
Data from INE show that agriculture is the main economic activity, accounting for 31.6% of GDP, followed by the mining and quarrying sector, which accounts for 15.0%. Transport, storage and communications account for 8.0% of the economy, whilst trade and repair services account for 7.3%.
From an expenditure perspective, final consumption grew by 7.9% in the second quarter, supported by an 8.4% rise in private consumption and a 6.5% rise in public consumption. Exports rose by 5.1% and imports by 3.1%, whilst gross capital formation fell by 16.5%, reflecting a reduction in stocks compared with the same period in 2025.
The Mozambican economy recovered in the final quarter of 2025, growing by 5.1%, reversing four consecutive quarters of contraction that followed the general elections on 1 October 2024 and the violent protests that left 400 people dead and caused widespread destruction of infrastructure and businesses.
In the first quarter of this year, the National Statistics Institute (INE) reported growth of 0.1%, indicating a still fragile recovery, supported mainly by the tertiary sector. The result now released represents an acceleration in economic activity and the third consecutive quarter of year-on-year growth.
The Mozambican government had cut its economic growth forecast for 2026 from 2.8% to 0.59% due to the impact of the floods and had put forward a post-flood reconstruction plan worth 102 billion meticais ($1.4 billion).
«The floods of January 2026 affected around 724,000 people in the provinces of Maputo, Gaza, Inhambane, Sofala, Manica and Zambézia, with significant impacts on poverty, food security and livelihoods,» said the agency's spokesperson, Inocêncio Impissa, at the end of the cabinet meeting on 7 July.
«The macroeconomic impact resulted in a downward revision of GDP growth for 2026, from 2.8% to 0.59%,» he stated.
The Comprehensive Post-Flood Recovery and Reconstruction Plan approved at the meeting aims to promote «a resilient, inclusive and sustainable recovery of the areas affected by the floods», ensuring socio-economic stabilisation, the restoration of livelihoods and the strengthening of the capacity to respond to future disasters, he added.
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