Population, total in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Population, total was 16.95 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
16.95 million
Change on year
up 1.9%
World rank
73rd
of 218 countries
All-time high
16.95 million
in 2025
All-time low
3.81 million
in 1960
Years of data
66
1960–2025
Population, total in Zimbabwe, 1960–2025
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
Zimbabwe recorded 16.95 million for population, total in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.9% on the previous year and up 17.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population, total in Zimbabwe peaked at 16.95 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 3.81 million, in 1960.
Zimbabwe ranks 73rd of 218 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Population, total in Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 3.81 million | — |
| 1961 | 3.93 million | +3.2% |
| 1962 | 4.06 million | +3.2% |
| 1963 | 4.19 million | +3.2% |
| 1964 | 4.32 million | +3.2% |
| 1965 | 4.46 million | +3.2% |
| 1966 | 4.60 million | +3.2% |
| 1967 | 4.75 million | +3.2% |
| 1968 | 4.90 million | +3.2% |
| 1969 | 5.06 million | +3.2% |
| 1970 | 5.22 million | +3.1% |
| 1971 | 5.37 million | +3.0% |
| 1972 | 5.54 million | +3.1% |
| 1973 | 5.72 million | +3.2% |
| 1974 | 5.91 million | +3.3% |
| 1975 | 6.10 million | +3.2% |
| 1976 | 6.29 million | +3.1% |
| 1977 | 6.45 million | +2.6% |
| 1978 | 6.54 million | +1.5% |
| 1979 | 6.65 million | +1.6% |
| 1980 | 7.04 million | +5.9% |
| 1981 | 7.50 million | +6.5% |
| 1982 | 7.80 million | +4.0% |
| 1983 | 8.10 million | +3.9% |
| 1984 | 8.39 million | +3.6% |
| 1985 | 8.69 million | +3.5% |
| 1986 | 8.98 million | +3.4% |
| 1987 | 9.28 million | +3.4% |
| 1988 | 9.58 million | +3.2% |
| 1989 | 9.86 million | +2.9% |
| 1990 | 10.14 million | +2.8% |
| 1991 | 10.40 million | +2.6% |
| 1992 | 10.70 million | +2.9% |
| 1993 | 10.86 million | +1.5% |
| 1994 | 10.87 million | +0.1% |
| 1995 | 10.97 million | +0.9% |
| 1996 | 11.16 million | +1.7% |
| 1997 | 11.37 million | +1.9% |
| 1998 | 11.59 million | +2.0% |
| 1999 | 11.78 million | +1.6% |
| 2000 | 11.89 million | +0.9% |
| 2001 | 11.97 million | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 12.09 million | +1.0% |
| 2003 | 12.23 million | +1.2% |
| 2004 | 12.37 million | +1.1% |
| 2005 | 12.48 million | +1.0% |
| 2006 | 12.64 million | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 12.80 million | +1.3% |
| 2008 | 12.96 million | +1.2% |
| 2009 | 13.14 million | +1.4% |
| 2010 | 13.36 million | +1.6% |
| 2011 | 13.60 million | +1.8% |
| 2012 | 13.82 million | +1.6% |
| 2013 | 14.01 million | +1.4% |
| 2014 | 14.21 million | +1.4% |
| 2015 | 14.40 million | +1.3% |
| 2016 | 14.60 million | +1.4% |
| 2017 | 14.81 million | +1.5% |
| 2018 | 15.03 million | +1.5% |
| 2019 | 15.27 million | +1.6% |
| 2020 | 15.53 million | +1.7% |
| 2021 | 15.80 million | +1.7% |
| 2022 | 16.07 million | +1.7% |
| 2023 | 16.34 million | +1.7% |
| 2024 | 16.63 million | +1.8% |
| 2025 | 16.95 million | +1.9% |
Zimbabwe compared with similar countries
- Zimbabwe's 16.95 million is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 12.35 million, 1.4× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Zimbabwe's 16.95 million is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 14.96 million, 1.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 4.41 million | 3.81 million | 5.06 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 5.98 million | 5.22 million | 6.65 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 8.52 million | 7.04 million | 9.86 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 10.99 million | 10.14 million | 11.78 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 12.46 million | 11.89 million | 13.14 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.31 million | 13.36 million | 15.27 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 16.22 million | 15.53 million | 16.95 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
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, total in Zimbabwe?
- Population, total in Zimbabwe was 16.95 million in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest population, total recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 16.95 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest population, total recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.81 million in 1960.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for population, total?
- Zimbabwe ranks 73rd out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population, total rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is up 17.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zimbabwe data come from?
- The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Population, total. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Total population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship. The values shown are midyear estimates.