Urban population growth (annual %) in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Urban population growth (annual %) was 3.4% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Urban population growth in Zimbabwe, 1961–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in annual %.
Analysis
In 2025, urban population growth in Zimbabwe stood at 3.4%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.5% on the previous year and up 33.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population growth in Zimbabwe peaked at 8.7% in 1981 and was at its lowest, 1.0%, in 2001.
Zimbabwe ranks 33rd of 218 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Urban population growth (annual %) in Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 5.5% | — |
| 1962 | 5.6% | +1.1% |
| 1963 | 6.1% | +9.6% |
| 1964 | 6.8% | +11.3% |
| 1965 | 7.1% | +5.4% |
| 1966 | 7.3% | +1.6% |
| 1967 | 7.1% | -1.4% |
| 1968 | 6.9% | -3.9% |
| 1969 | 6.5% | -6.0% |
| 1970 | 6.0% | -6.4% |
| 1971 | 5.8% | -3.8% |
| 1972 | 5.8% | -1.1% |
| 1973 | 5.7% | -0.4% |
| 1974 | 5.7% | -0.2% |
| 1975 | 5.6% | -2.1% |
| 1976 | 5.4% | -3.0% |
| 1977 | 4.9% | -9.5% |
| 1978 | 3.8% | -22.5% |
| 1979 | 4.0% | +3.7% |
| 1980 | 8.2% | +106.4% |
| 1981 | 8.7% | +7.1% |
| 1982 | 6.4% | -27.0% |
| 1983 | 6.5% | +1.8% |
| 1984 | 6.6% | +1.1% |
| 1985 | 6.6% | +1.2% |
| 1986 | 6.6% | -1.0% |
| 1987 | 6.5% | -1.8% |
| 1988 | 6.1% | -5.1% |
| 1989 | 5.6% | -8.9% |
| 1990 | 5.1% | -9.6% |
| 1991 | 4.5% | -11.1% |
| 1992 | 4.2% | -7.0% |
| 1993 | 2.5% | -41.0% |
| 1994 | 1.0% | -57.7% |
| 1995 | 1.8% | +71.3% |
| 1996 | 2.4% | +36.8% |
| 1997 | 2.6% | +5.6% |
| 1998 | 2.6% | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 2.1% | -16.8% |
| 2000 | 1.3% | -37.5% |
| 2001 | 1.0% | -26.7% |
| 2002 | 1.2% | +18.1% |
| 2003 | 1.3% | +12.7% |
| 2004 | 1.2% | -10.2% |
| 2005 | 1.0% | -13.8% |
| 2006 | 1.3% | +25.6% |
| 2007 | 1.4% | +7.3% |
| 2008 | 1.2% | -8.3% |
| 2009 | 1.5% | +16.9% |
| 2010 | 1.7% | +15.2% |
| 2011 | 1.9% | +10.8% |
| 2012 | 1.7% | -6.7% |
| 2013 | 1.7% | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 2.2% | +24.3% |
| 2015 | 2.5% | +17.3% |
| 2016 | 2.9% | +15.3% |
| 2017 | 3.3% | +11.2% |
| 2018 | 3.5% | +7.8% |
| 2019 | 3.7% | +6.4% |
| 2020 | 3.9% | +5.0% |
| 2021 | 4.0% | +2.7% |
| 2022 | 3.9% | -3.3% |
| 2023 | 3.2% | -18.2% |
| 2024 | 3.3% | +3.7% |
| 2025 | 3.4% | +2.5% |
Zimbabwe compared with similar countries
- Zimbabwe's 3.4% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 2.7%, 1.2× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Zimbabwe's 3.4% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3.4%, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Urban population growth (annual %) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | +106.4% | 4.0% | 8.2% |
| 1995 | +71.3% | 1.0% | 1.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 6.5% | 5.5% | 7.3% | 9 |
| 1970s | 5.3% | 3.8% | 6.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.8% | 5.6% | 8.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.9% | 1.0% | 5.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.2% | 1.0% | 1.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.5% | 1.7% | 3.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.6% | 3.2% | 4.0% | 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 urban population growth in Zimbabwe?
- Urban population growth in Zimbabwe was 3.4% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population growth recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 8.7% in 1981.
- What is the lowest urban population growth recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.0% in 2001.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for urban population growth?
- Zimbabwe ranks 33rd out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population growth rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is up 33.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Zimbabwe data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban 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 urban population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear urban population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank total population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects.