Population growth in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Population growth was 1.9% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Population growth in Zimbabwe, 1961–2025
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division. Measured in annual %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for population growth in Zimbabwe is 1.9%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of up 5.8% on the previous year and up 40.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population growth in Zimbabwe peaked at 6.3% in 1981 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 1994.
That places Zimbabwe 54th out of 218 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.
Population growth in Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 3.1% | — |
| 1962 | 3.1% | +0.6% |
| 1963 | 3.2% | +0.3% |
| 1964 | 3.2% | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 3.2% | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 3.2% | -0.1% |
| 1967 | 3.1% | -0.2% |
| 1968 | 3.2% | +0.2% |
| 1969 | 3.2% | +0.5% |
| 1970 | 3.1% | -3.1% |
| 1971 | 3.0% | -2.3% |
| 1972 | 3.1% | +2.5% |
| 1973 | 3.2% | +2.8% |
| 1974 | 3.2% | +2.3% |
| 1975 | 3.2% | -1.9% |
| 1976 | 3.0% | -4.0% |
| 1977 | 2.6% | -16.2% |
| 1978 | 1.4% | -43.2% |
| 1979 | 1.6% | +8.9% |
| 1980 | 5.8% | +265.0% |
| 1981 | 6.3% | +9.4% |
| 1982 | 3.9% | -38.1% |
| 1983 | 3.8% | -2.5% |
| 1984 | 3.6% | -6.4% |
| 1985 | 3.5% | -2.7% |
| 1986 | 3.3% | -3.2% |
| 1987 | 3.3% | -1.2% |
| 1988 | 3.2% | -4.3% |
| 1989 | 2.9% | -8.4% |
| 1990 | 2.7% | -6.0% |
| 1991 | 2.6% | -4.4% |
| 1992 | 2.8% | +8.4% |
| 1993 | 1.5% | -48.2% |
| 1994 | 0.1% | -91.9% |
| 1995 | 0.9% | +684.8% |
| 1996 | 1.7% | +78.8% |
| 1997 | 1.9% | +13.1% |
| 1998 | 2.0% | +4.1% |
| 1999 | 1.6% | -17.2% |
| 2000 | 0.9% | -43.3% |
| 2001 | 0.7% | -27.1% |
| 2002 | 1.0% | +43.8% |
| 2003 | 1.2% | +23.6% |
| 2004 | 1.1% | -8.7% |
| 2005 | 0.9% | -12.9% |
| 2006 | 1.2% | +28.8% |
| 2007 | 1.3% | +8.2% |
| 2008 | 1.2% | -8.6% |
| 2009 | 1.4% | +16.9% |
| 2010 | 1.6% | +14.7% |
| 2011 | 1.8% | +9.9% |
| 2012 | 1.6% | -8.4% |
| 2013 | 1.4% | -13.3% |
| 2014 | 1.4% | -2.6% |
| 2015 | 1.3% | -2.3% |
| 2016 | 1.4% | +3.6% |
| 2017 | 1.4% | +3.9% |
| 2018 | 1.5% | +3.1% |
| 2019 | 1.6% | +5.1% |
| 2020 | 1.7% | +6.1% |
| 2021 | 1.7% | +4.0% |
| 2022 | 1.7% | -1.1% |
| 2023 | 1.7% | -1.7% |
| 2024 | 1.8% | +6.2% |
| 2025 | 1.9% | +5.8% |
Zimbabwe compared with similar countries
- Zimbabwe's 1.9% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1.7%, 1.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Zimbabwe's 1.9% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2.3%, 83% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Population growth in Zimbabwe changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | +684.8% | 0.1% | 0.9% |
| 1980 | +265.0% | 1.6% | 5.8% |
| 1994 | -91.9% | 1.5% | 0.1% |
| 1996 | +78.8% | 0.9% | 1.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 3.2% | 3.1% | 3.2% | 9 |
| 1970s | 2.7% | 1.4% | 3.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.9% | 2.9% | 6.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.8% | 0.1% | 2.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.1% | 0.7% | 1.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.5% | 1.3% | 1.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.7% | 1.7% | 1.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
- 51 Sao Tome and Principe 2.0% compare
- 52 Kenya 1.9% compare
- 53 Malta 1.9% compare
- 55 Uzbekistan 1.9% compare
- 56 Comoros 1.9% compare
- 57 Cayman Islands 1.8% compare
More climate change data for Zimbabwe
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 178.46 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 17,716 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 5,805 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 11,912 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 21.9 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 425.42 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 1,483 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 1,345 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 137.94 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 5.08 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population growth in Zimbabwe?
- Population growth in Zimbabwe was 1.9% in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division.
- What is the highest population growth recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 6.3% in 1981.
- What is the lowest population growth recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 1994.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for population growth?
- Zimbabwe ranks 54th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population growth rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is up 40.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zimbabwe data come from?
- The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division, published as part of Population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Annual population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.