Share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050 in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe: Share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050 was 40.5% in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
40.5%
Change on year
up 1.5%
World rank
186th
of 238 countries
All-time high
40.5%
in 2025
All-time low
0.0%
in 1000
Years of data
108
1000–2025

Share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050 in Zimbabwe, 1000–2025

010203040100015122025

Source: HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050 in Zimbabwe is 40.5%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 108 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.5% on the previous year and up 20.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050 in Zimbabwe peaked at 40.5% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1000.

That places Zimbabwe 186th out of 238 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1000s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1
1100s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1
1200s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1
1300s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1
1400s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1
1500s 0.1% 0.1% 0.1% 1
1600s 0.4% 0.4% 0.4% 1
1700s 1.1% 1.1% 1.1% 1
1710s 1.2% 1.2% 1.2% 1
1720s 1.3% 1.3% 1.3% 1
1730s 1.4% 1.4% 1.4% 1
1740s 1.6% 1.6% 1.6% 1
1750s 1.7% 1.7% 1.7% 1
1760s 1.9% 1.9% 1.9% 1
1770s 2.1% 2.1% 2.1% 1
1780s 2.3% 2.3% 2.3% 1
1790s 2.5% 2.5% 2.5% 1
1800s 2.7% 2.7% 2.7% 1
1810s 3.0% 3.0% 3.0% 1
1820s 3.3% 3.3% 3.3% 1
1830s 3.6% 3.6% 3.6% 1
1840s 3.9% 3.9% 3.9% 1
1850s 4.3% 4.3% 4.3% 1
1860s 4.7% 4.7% 4.7% 1
1870s 5.1% 5.1% 5.1% 1
1880s 5.6% 5.6% 5.6% 1
1890s 6.2% 6.2% 6.2% 1
1900s 6.8% 6.8% 6.8% 1
1910s 7.4% 7.4% 7.4% 1
1920s 8.1% 8.1% 8.1% 1
1930s 8.9% 8.9% 8.9% 1
1940s 9.7% 9.7% 9.7% 1
1950s 11.3% 10.7% 12.2% 10
1960s 14.4% 12.5% 16.9% 10
1970s 19.6% 17.4% 21.8% 10
1980s 25.4% 22.3% 28.9% 10
1990s 31.2% 29.6% 32.3% 10
2000s 32.6% 32.4% 32.7% 10
2010s 33.8% 32.7% 36.2% 10
2020s 38.9% 37.0% 40.5% 6

Countries ranked near Zimbabwe

  1. 183 Maldives 42.5% compare
  2. 184 Belize 41.6% compare
  3. 185 Cambodia 41.1% compare
  4. 187 Laos 40.3% compare
  5. 188 Faroe Islands 39.6% compare
  6. 189 Pakistan 39.5% compare

See the full ranking of 239 places →

More population data for Zimbabwe

All data for Zimbabwe →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050 in Zimbabwe?
Share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050 in Zimbabwe was 40.5% in 2025, according to HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050 recorded in Zimbabwe?
The highest recorded value was 40.5% in 2025.
What is the lowest share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050 recorded in Zimbabwe?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1000.
How does Zimbabwe rank for share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050?
Zimbabwe ranks 186th out of 238 countries with data for 2025.
Is share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050 rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
Over the last ten years it is up 20.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Zimbabwe data come from?
The figures come from HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 108 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050
Unit
%
Source
HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
239 places, 24,444 data points, 1000–2025
Last refreshed

Share of the population living in urban areas, combining UN estimates with modelled historical data.