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Harare

#127 largest metro areaAfrica

In Zimbabwe

Metro population
1,558,000
0.019% of world population
Archive estimate
Annual growth
+1.45%
About 62 people a day
Archive estimate
Density
1,623/km²
960 km² metro area
City proper
1,542,813
Within the administrative boundary
GeoNames

About Harare

With a metropolitan population of 1,558,000, Harare ranks among Africa's major urban centers. The city proper holds 1,542,813 residents at a density of 1,623 people per km², situated at an elevation of 1,494 m. Founded in 1890, the city continues to grow at 1.5% annually, indicating a steadily expanding population base.

Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport serves the city, providing regional connectivity. Jacob Mafume leads the municipality. Harare's high elevation and dense urban footprint shape its character as Zimbabwe's principal metropolitan area.

This summary is AI-generated from the statistics on this page. The figures themselves come from the sources cited beside each value.

Key Facts

Country
Zimbabwe
Continent
Africa
World rank
#127 of 140
Share of country
9.2%
Founded
1890
Leadership
Jacob Mafume
Elevation
1,494 m
Coordinates
-17.828, 31.053

Airports

Scheduled-service airports within 100 km, nearest first.

  • Robert Gabriel Mugabe International AirportHRE

    12 km from the city centre

Source: OurAirports, matched by distance.

Compared with the World's Largest Cities

Metropolitan population against the fifteen largest metro areas.

  1. Tokyo37.4M
  2. Delhi32.9M
  3. Shanghai29.2M
  4. São Paulo22.6M
  5. Dhaka22.5M
  6. Mexico City22.3M
  7. Cairo22.2M
  8. Mumbai21.7M
  9. Beijing21.5M
  10. Osaka19M
  11. New York18.9M
  12. Karachi17.1M
  13. Kinshasa17.1M
  14. Chongqing16.9M
  15. Lagos15.9M
  16. Harare1.56M
Metro populations are archive estimates; boundaries differ between national statistical agencies.
Harare compared with the fifteen largest metropolitan areas
NameMetro population
Tokyo37.4M
Delhi32.9M
Shanghai29.2M
São Paulo22.6M
Dhaka22.5M
Mexico City22.3M
Cairo22.2M
Mumbai21.7M
Beijing21.5M
Osaka19M
New York18.9M
Karachi17.1M
Kinshasa17.1M
Chongqing16.9M
Lagos15.9M
Harare1.56M

Population Trend in Zimbabwe

No free source publishes metropolitan population back to 1950, so the parent country's series is shown instead.

05M10M15M20M25M30M35M1950197520002025205020752100projected →
This is Zimbabwe's national population, not Harare's. The legacy city series this page previously carried was generated by scaling the current figure, so it has been dropped rather than presented as history. Source: UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Zimbabwe population, 1950 to 2100
YearPopulation
19502,790,905
19603,809,389
19705,215,918
19807,041,303
199010,137,281
200011,892,055
201013,356,548
202015,526,888
203018,610,349
204022,250,109
205025,866,385
206029,129,003
207032,010,414
208034,440,027
209036,154,189
210037,166,572

Nearest Major Cities

Closest cities in our dataset by great-circle distance.

Harare Population FAQ

What is the population of Harare?

Harare's metropolitan area has about 1,558,000 people, making it the 127th largest metro area in our dataset of 140 major cities.

What is the difference between Harare's city and metro population?

About 1,542,813 people live within the city proper, while the wider metropolitan area holds roughly 1,558,000. Metro figures include surrounding commuter areas that fall outside the city's administrative boundary.

Is Harare growing or shrinking?

Harare is growing at +1.45% a year.

What share of Zimbabwe's population lives in Harare?

Harare's metro area holds about 9.2% of Zimbabwe's total population.

How densely populated is Harare?

Harare has roughly 1,623 people per km² across a metro area of about 960 km².

Which airports serve Harare?

The nearest major airports are Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport (HRE).

Which country is Harare in?

Harare is in Zimbabwe, in Africa.

Explore More Cities

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