What is the population of Zimbabwe in 2026?
Zimbabwe has a population of 16,950,795 people (2025 estimate), which is 74th in the world and about 0.20% of the global total.
Officially Republic of Zimbabwe
Population 2025
16,950,795
0.20% of world population
World Bank, 2025Annual Growth
+1.88%
+319,353 people a year
World Bank, 2025Density
42/km²
386,850 km² land area
World Bank, 2023Median Age
18.1 years
Life expectancy 63.1 years
Our World in Data, 2025About Zimbabwe
With roughly 16.95 million people, Zimbabwe ranks 74th globally and spans 386,850 km² across southern Africa, bordered by Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa, and Zambia. The country's population is young—median age 18.1 years—and growing at 1.9% annually, with a fertility rate of 3.7 births per woman. Life expectancy stands at 63.1 years, and 40% of residents live in urban areas at a density of 42 people per km².
Harare serves as the capital. The nation gained independence in 1980 and operates with a GDP per capita of $3,021. Zimbabwe's currency system encompasses the Botswana pula, Chinese yuan, euro, British pound, Indian rupee, Japanese yen, US dollar, South African rand, and Zimbabwean bonds. Linguistic diversity is substantial, with 15 official languages including Shona, Northern Ndebele, English, and Zimbabwean Sign Language.
This summary is AI-generated from the indicators on this page. The figures themselves come from the sources cited beside each value.
Country Facts
- Capital
- Harare
- Continent
- Africa
- ISO codes
- ZW · ZWE
- Demonym
- Zimbabwean
- Currency
- Botswana pula (BWP P), Chinese yuan (CNY ¥), Euro (EUR €), British pound (GBP £), Indian rupee (INR ₹), Japanese yen (JPY ¥), United States dollar (USD $), South African rand (ZAR Rs), Zimbabwean bonds (ZWB $)
- State inception
- 1980
- Time zone
- UTC+02:00
- Driving side
- Left
- Calling code
- +263
- Internet TLD
- .zw
- Land neighbours
- 4
Languages
- Chibarwe
- English
- Kalanga
- Khoisan
- Ndau
- Northern Ndebele
- Chewa
- Shona
- Sotho
- Tonga
- Tswana
- Tsonga
- Venda
- Xhosa
- Zimbabwean Sign Language
Demographics
Economy
Health
Education
Environment
Infrastructure
Quality of Life
Geography
Military
Age & Gender Distribution
Population by five-year age band, UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Male Female
- Age 0–14
- 40.9%
- Age 15–64
- 55.5%
- Age 65+
- 3.6%
| Age band | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| 100+ | 25 | 111 |
| 95-99 | 337 | 1,104 |
| 90-94 | 1,908 | 4,683 |
| 85-89 | 6,611 | 12,925 |
| 80-84 | 18,072 | 31,438 |
| 75-79 | 38,808 | 59,656 |
| 70-74 | 77,096 | 111,427 |
| 65-69 | 96,530 | 138,385 |
| 60-64 | 102,600 | 137,351 |
| 55-59 | 124,190 | 167,138 |
| 50-54 | 166,596 | 260,917 |
| 45-49 | 281,277 | 406,414 |
| 40-44 | 444,745 | 554,847 |
| 35-39 | 457,654 | 558,047 |
| 30-34 | 425,834 | 517,019 |
| 25-29 | 530,404 | 605,579 |
| 20-24 | 789,385 | 818,494 |
| 15-19 | 944,594 | 943,082 |
| 10-14 | 1,135,537 | 1,124,765 |
| 5-9 | 1,110,427 | 1,095,313 |
| 0-4 | 1,176,460 | 1,156,591 |
Population History & Projection (1950–2100)
Observed population to 2024, then the UN medium-variant projection.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1950 | 2,790,905 |
| 1960 | 3,809,389 |
| 1970 | 5,215,918 |
| 1980 | 7,041,303 |
| 1990 | 10,137,281 |
| 2000 | 11,892,055 |
| 2010 | 13,356,548 |
| 2020 | 15,526,888 |
| 2030 | 18,610,349 |
| 2040 | 22,250,109 |
| 2050 | 25,866,385 |
| 2060 | 29,129,003 |
| 2070 | 32,010,414 |
| 2080 | 34,440,027 |
| 2090 | 36,154,189 |
| 2100 | 37,166,572 |
How Zimbabwe Compares
Population against the ten most populous countries.
| Name | Population |
|---|---|
| India | 1.46B |
| China | 1.41B |
| United States | 341.8M |
| Indonesia | 285.7M |
| Pakistan | 255.2M |
| Nigeria | 237.5M |
| Brazil | 212.8M |
| Bangladesh | 175.7M |
| Russia | 143.5M |
| Ethiopia | 135.5M |
| Zimbabwe | 17M |
Major Cities in Zimbabwe
1 metropolitan area in our city dataset.
- Harare1.56M · +1.45%
Countries Bordering Zimbabwe
4 land borders.
- Botswana2.56M · +1.61%
- Mozambique35.6M · +2.85%
- South Africa64.7M · +1.15%
- Zambia21.9M · +2.77%
Zimbabwe Population FAQ
Is the population of Zimbabwe growing or shrinking?
Zimbabwe's population is growing at +1.88% per year, a change of roughly 319,353 people annually.
What is the capital of Zimbabwe?
The capital of Zimbabwe is Harare.
What is the largest city in Zimbabwe?
Harare is the largest metropolitan area in Zimbabwe, with about 1.56M people.
How densely populated is Zimbabwe?
Zimbabwe has 42/km² across 386,850 km² of land area.
What is life expectancy in Zimbabwe?
Life expectancy at birth in Zimbabwe is 63.1 years (2024).
What is the median age in Zimbabwe?
The median age in Zimbabwe is 18.1 years, meaning half the population is younger than that and half older.
Which continent is Zimbabwe in?
Zimbabwe is in Africa.