Total population in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Total population was 16,790 thousands in 2025. β² Rising
Total population in Zimbabwe, 1970β2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in thousands.
Analysis
The most recent figure for total population in Zimbabwe is 16,790 thousands, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.9% on the previous year and up 17.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, total population in Zimbabwe peaked at 16,790 thousands in 2025 and was at its lowest, 5,138 thousands, in 1970.
Zimbabwe ranks 72nd of 230 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 5,899 thousands | 5,138 thousands | 6,570 thousands | 10 |
| 1980s | 8,359 thousands | 6,725 thousands | 9,728 thousands | 10 |
| 1990s | 10,893 thousands | 10,002 thousands | 11,710 thousands | 10 |
| 2000s | 12,388 thousands | 11,856 thousands | 13,042 thousands | 10 |
| 2010s | 14,203 thousands | 13,243 thousands | 15,148 thousands | 10 |
| 2020s | 16,077 thousands | 15,394 thousands | 16,790 thousands | 6 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
More population data for Zimbabwe
- Population growth rate by level of development 0.188 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 2.49 million (2100)
- Population density 96.07 (2100)
- Population growth rate 0.188 (2100)
- Fertility and wanted fertility 3.67 (2024)
- Refugee population by country or territory of asylum 9,240 (2024)
- Fertility vs unmet contraception 3.67 (2024)
- Fertility vs contraception 3.67 (2024)
- Natural population growth 2.28 (2023)
- Fertility rate with projections 3.72 (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is total population in Zimbabwe?
- Total population in Zimbabwe was 16,790 thousands in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest total population recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 16,790 thousands in 2025.
- What is the lowest total population recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 5,138 thousands in 1970.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for total population?
- Zimbabwe ranks 72nd out of 230 countries with data for 2025.
- Is total population rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is up 17.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zimbabwe data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Total population (thousands). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV Β· JSON β 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release