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

02468196019922024

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

Annual values for Fertility and wanted fertility in Zimbabwe, 1960 to 2024.
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

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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

  1. 34 Guinea-Bissau 3.76 compare
  2. 35 Sierra Leone 3.7 compare
  3. 36 Eritrea 3.68 compare
  4. 38 Rwanda 3.65 compare
  5. 39 Sao Tome and Principe 3.6 compare
  6. 40 Gabon 3.59 compare

See the full ranking of 215 places →

More population data for Zimbabwe

All data for Zimbabwe →

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.

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Fertility and wanted fertility in Zimbabwe. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 11 November 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/fertility-and-wanted-fertility/zimbabwe/

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About this data

Indicator
Fertility and wanted fertility
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
215 places, 13,943 data points, 1960–2024
Last refreshed