Urban population, per square kilometre in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe: Urban population, per square kilometre was 16.6 units per square kilometre in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
16.6 units per square kilometre
Change on year
up 3.2%
World rank
170th
of 216 countries
All-time high
16.6 units per square kilometre
in 2023
All-time low
1.3 units per square kilometre
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023

Urban population, per square kilometre in Zimbabwe, 1961–2023

051015196119922023

Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in units per square kilometre.

Analysis

The most recent figure for urban population, per square kilometre in Zimbabwe is 16.6 units per square kilometre, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.

The figure is up 3.2% on the previous year and up 39.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, urban population, per square kilometre in Zimbabwe peaked at 16.6 units per square kilometre in 2023 and was at its lowest, 1.3 units per square kilometre, in 1961.

Zimbabwe ranks 170th of 216 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Urban population, per square kilometre in Zimbabwe, year by year

Annual values for Urban population, per square kilometre in Zimbabwe, 1961 to 2023.
Year units per square kilometre Change
1961 1.3 units per square kilometre
1962 1.37 units per square kilometre +5.7%
1963 1.46 units per square kilometre +6.3%
1964 1.56 units per square kilometre +7.0%
1965 1.67 units per square kilometre +7.4%
1966 1.8 units per square kilometre +7.5%
1967 1.93 units per square kilometre +7.4%
1968 2.07 units per square kilometre +7.1%
1969 2.21 units per square kilometre +6.7%
1970 2.35 units per square kilometre +6.2%
1971 2.49 units per square kilometre +6.0%
1972 2.64 units per square kilometre +5.9%
1973 2.79 units per square kilometre +5.9%
1974 2.96 units per square kilometre +5.9%
1975 3.13 units per square kilometre +5.8%
1976 3.3 units per square kilometre +5.6%
1977 3.47 units per square kilometre +5.0%
1978 3.6 units per square kilometre +3.9%
1979 3.75 units per square kilometre +4.0%
1980 4.06 units per square kilometre +8.5%
1981 4.44 units per square kilometre +9.1%
1982 4.73 units per square kilometre +6.6%
1983 5.04 units per square kilometre +6.7%
1984 5.39 units per square kilometre +6.8%
1985 5.76 units per square kilometre +6.9%
1986 6.15 units per square kilometre +6.8%
1987 6.56 units per square kilometre +6.7%
1988 6.97 units per square kilometre +6.3%
1989 7.37 units per square kilometre +5.7%
1990 7.75 units per square kilometre +5.2%
1991 8.11 units per square kilometre +4.6%
1992 8.46 units per square kilometre +4.3%
1993 8.67 units per square kilometre +2.5%
1994 8.76 units per square kilometre +1.0%
1995 8.92 units per square kilometre +1.8%
1996 9.14 units per square kilometre +2.5%
1997 9.38 units per square kilometre +2.6%
1998 9.62 units per square kilometre +2.6%
1999 9.83 units per square kilometre +2.2%
2000 9.96 units per square kilometre +1.3%
2001 10.06 units per square kilometre +1.0%
2002 10.17 units per square kilometre +1.2%
2003 10.31 units per square kilometre +1.3%
2004 10.43 units per square kilometre +1.2%
2005 10.54 units per square kilometre +1.0%
2006 10.67 units per square kilometre +1.3%
2007 10.82 units per square kilometre +1.4%
2008 10.95 units per square kilometre +1.3%
2009 11.11 units per square kilometre +1.5%
2010 11.3 units per square kilometre +1.7%
2011 11.51 units per square kilometre +1.9%
2012 11.71 units per square kilometre +1.7%
2013 11.92 units per square kilometre +1.8%
2014 12.18 units per square kilometre +2.2%
2015 12.49 units per square kilometre +2.6%
2016 12.86 units per square kilometre +3.0%
2017 13.29 units per square kilometre +3.3%
2018 13.76 units per square kilometre +3.6%
2019 14.28 units per square kilometre +3.8%
2020 14.85 units per square kilometre +4.0%
2021 15.46 units per square kilometre +4.1%
2022 16.08 units per square kilometre +4.0%
2023 16.6 units per square kilometre +3.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 1.71 units per square kilometre 1.3 units per square kilometre 2.21 units per square kilometre 9
1970s 3.05 units per square kilometre 2.35 units per square kilometre 3.75 units per square kilometre 10
1980s 5.65 units per square kilometre 4.06 units per square kilometre 7.37 units per square kilometre 10
1990s 8.86 units per square kilometre 7.75 units per square kilometre 9.83 units per square kilometre 10
2000s 10.5 units per square kilometre 9.96 units per square kilometre 11.11 units per square kilometre 10
2010s 12.53 units per square kilometre 11.3 units per square kilometre 14.28 units per square kilometre 10
2020s 15.75 units per square kilometre 14.85 units per square kilometre 16.6 units per square kilometre 4

Countries ranked near Zimbabwe

  1. 167 Uruguay 18.5 units per square kilometre compare
  2. 168 Eswatini 18.46 units per square kilometre compare
  3. 169 Madagascar 17.15 units per square kilometre compare
  4. 171 New Zealand 16.57 units per square kilometre compare
  5. 172 Afghanistan 16.19 units per square kilometre compare
  6. 173 Somalia 15.82 units per square kilometre compare

See the full ranking of 264 places →

More climate change data for Zimbabwe

All data for Zimbabwe →

Frequently asked questions

What is urban population, per square kilometre in Zimbabwe?
Urban population, per square kilometre in Zimbabwe was 16.6 units per square kilometre in 2023, according to Statizoid (derived).
What is the highest urban population, per square kilometre recorded in Zimbabwe?
The highest recorded value was 16.6 units per square kilometre in 2023.
What is the lowest urban population, per square kilometre recorded in Zimbabwe?
The lowest recorded value was 1.3 units per square kilometre in 1961.
How does Zimbabwe rank for urban population, per square kilometre?
Zimbabwe ranks 170th out of 216 countries with data for 2023.
Is urban population, per square kilometre rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
Over the last ten years it is up 39.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Zimbabwe data come from?
The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Urban population, per square kilometre. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Urban population, per square kilometre in Zimbabwe. Statizoid, drawing on Statizoid (derived). Retrieved 14 September 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/urban-population-per-square-kilometre/zimbabwe/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page; please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/urban-population-per-square-kilometre/zimbabwe/">Urban population, per square kilometre in Zimbabwe</a> — Statizoid

How this figure is calculated

Urban population divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.

Urban population ÷ Land area (sq. km)

Computed from

Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.

About this data

Indicator
Urban population, per square kilometre
Unit
units per square kilometre
Source
Statizoid (derived)
Licence
Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page
Coverage
264 places, 15,342 data points, 1961–2023
Last refreshed

Urban population divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.