Fertility and wanted fertility in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Fertility and wanted fertility was 3.67 in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
3.67
Change on year
down 1.3%
World rank
37th
of 215 countries
All-time high
7.23
in 1962
All-time low
3.63
in 2006
Years of data
65
1960–2024
Fertility and wanted fertility in Zimbabwe, 1960–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Zimbabwe recorded 3.67 for fertility and wanted fertility in 2024.
That represents a change of down 1.3% on the previous year and down 8.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertility and wanted fertility in Zimbabwe peaked at 7.23 in 1962 and was at its lowest, 3.63, in 2006.
That places Zimbabwe 37th out of 215 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.
Fertility and wanted fertility in Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 7.2 | — |
| 1961 | 7.21 | +0.2% |
| 1962 | 7.23 | +0.3% |
| 1963 | 7.23 | -0.0% |
| 1964 | 7.23 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 7.23 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 7.2 | -0.5% |
| 1967 | 7.16 | -0.5% |
| 1968 | 7.11 | -0.6% |
| 1969 | 7.04 | -1.1% |
| 1970 | 6.98 | -0.8% |
| 1971 | 6.94 | -0.6% |
| 1972 | 6.94 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 6.94 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 6.88 | -0.9% |
| 1975 | 6.83 | -0.7% |
| 1976 | 6.77 | -0.9% |
| 1977 | 6.71 | -0.9% |
| 1978 | 6.66 | -0.8% |
| 1979 | 6.59 | -1.0% |
| 1980 | 6.52 | -1.1% |
| 1981 | 6.45 | -1.1% |
| 1982 | 6.33 | -1.7% |
| 1983 | 6.2 | -2.1% |
| 1984 | 6.04 | -2.5% |
| 1985 | 5.87 | -2.9% |
| 1986 | 5.69 | -3.1% |
| 1987 | 5.5 | -3.3% |
| 1988 | 5.28 | -4.0% |
| 1989 | 5.07 | -3.9% |
| 1990 | 4.88 | -3.9% |
| 1991 | 4.71 | -3.3% |
| 1992 | 4.57 | -3.1% |
| 1993 | 4.39 | -3.9% |
| 1994 | 4.28 | -2.4% |
| 1995 | 4.15 | -3.1% |
| 1996 | 4.11 | -1.0% |
| 1997 | 4.08 | -0.9% |
| 1998 | 4.07 | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 4.06 | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 4.01 | -1.2% |
| 2001 | 3.98 | -0.6% |
| 2002 | 3.92 | -1.5% |
| 2003 | 3.86 | -1.6% |
| 2004 | 3.78 | -2.2% |
| 2005 | 3.69 | -2.2% |
| 2006 | 3.63 | -1.6% |
| 2007 | 3.68 | +1.2% |
| 2008 | 3.78 | +2.9% |
| 2009 | 3.95 | +4.4% |
| 2010 | 4.04 | +2.3% |
| 2011 | 4.13 | +2.1% |
| 2012 | 4.13 | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 4.11 | -0.6% |
| 2014 | 4.01 | -2.4% |
| 2015 | 3.91 | -2.5% |
| 2016 | 3.83 | -2.1% |
| 2017 | 3.77 | -1.6% |
| 2018 | 3.74 | -0.6% |
| 2019 | 3.75 | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 3.75 | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 3.77 | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 3.77 | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 3.72 | -1.1% |
| 2024 | 3.67 | -1.3% |
Zimbabwe compared with similar countries
- Zimbabwe's 3.67 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 3.12, 1.2× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Zimbabwe's 3.67 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3.91, 94% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 7.18 | 7.04 | 7.23 | 10 |
| 1970s | 6.82 | 6.59 | 6.98 | 10 |
| 1980s | 5.89 | 5.07 | 6.52 | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.33 | 4.06 | 4.88 | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.83 | 3.63 | 4.01 | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.94 | 3.74 | 4.13 | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.74 | 3.67 | 3.77 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
- 34 Guinea-Bissau 3.76 compare
- 35 Sierra Leone 3.7 compare
- 36 Eritrea 3.68 compare
- 38 Rwanda 3.65 compare
- 39 Sao Tome and Principe 3.6 compare
- 40 Gabon 3.59 compare
More population data for Zimbabwe
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.1887 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -0.0209 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate 0.1887 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate 0.0944 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 26,439 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 1.94 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.5219 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate 0.188 (2100)
- Population density 96.07 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 2.49 million (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fertility and wanted fertility in Zimbabwe?
- Fertility and wanted fertility in Zimbabwe was 3.67 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fertility and wanted fertility recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 7.23 in 1962.
- What is the lowest fertility and wanted fertility recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.63 in 2006.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for fertility and wanted fertility?
- Zimbabwe ranks 37th out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
- Is fertility and wanted fertility rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zimbabwe data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Fertility and wanted fertility. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).