Mozambique breaks record in car imports

Mozambique is experiencing a boom in the automotive sector. Data from the Bank of Mozambique reveals that, between September and January of this year, the country spent, on average, something like 1 million dollars per day on vehicle imports, reaching impressive levels and signaling a strong acceleration in demand.

In the first nine months of 2025 alone, imports totaled something like $259.5 million. The value becomes even more significant when we look at the third quarter: $89.7 million entered the country solely to supply the automotive market, proving that the purchasing trend not only continues but is accelerating.

Without domestic production, Mozambique is entirely dependent on foreign countries to meet the mobility needs of its population. In recent years, the rate of imports has remained at high levels, with slight fluctuations.

- 2022: $369.3 million

- 2023: $421 million (the most recent peak)

- 2024: $386.8 million

This consistent growth in imports is a direct reflection of the rapid expansion of the national vehicle fleet. According to the National Institute of Statistics (INE), the number of vehicles in circulation exceeded 1.32 million in 2024, representing an increase of 4.2% compared to the previous year.

The southern region, and more specifically the greater Maputo area, is largely responsible for this automotive dominance. The city of Maputo concentrates almost half of the country's vehicles, with more than 564,000 cars, while the province of Maputo has about 496,000. Together, they total more than one million cars, highlighting the traffic density in the capital and its surroundings.

Looking at the type of vehicles, passenger cars continue to dominate Mozambican roads, totaling more than 897,000 units. Demand for this segment is so strong that, between 2021 and 2024, there was a 12% growth – the equivalent of almost 100,000 more cars on the road in a short period of time.

 In addition to passenger cars, the national car fleet also included, in 2024:

- 267,792 heavy vehicles, supporting logistics and freight transport;

- 16,158 tractors, essential for the agricultural sector;

- 100,695 motorcycles, an increasingly popular mobility alternative.

In short, the numbers confirm a clear and sustained trend: the Mozambican car market is expanding strongly, driven by the growing demand for mobility, especially in large urban centers, and the cost of this boom, paid daily, already exceeds the million-dollar mark.