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Zimbabwe
A landlocked southern African nation, Zimbabwe takes its name from Great Zimbabwe, the largest stone structure in sub-Saharan Africa built by the medieval Shona civilization. The capital Harare sits on the high central plateau. Once called the 'breadbasket of Africa,' Zimbabwe experienced economic collapse and hyperinflation in the 2000s but retains significant agricultural and mineral potential, including the world's second-largest platinum reserves.
Major cities: Harare, Bulawayo, Chitungwiza, Mutare
2024
16.6M
UN
2050
25.9M
UN
2100
37.2M
UN
~2200
27.0M
GPU
~2500
3.0M
GPU
Population16.6M
Fertility (TFR)3.67
Life expectancy63.1
Median age17.8
Infant mortality40.6 per 1,000
Pop. density42/km²
Urbanization39%
Youth share (0-14)41%
Land area386,850 km²
LanguageEnglish
ReligionChristian
HDI0.598 (#153)
RegionAfrica
Latest available year is shown in parentheses where the source series varies across indicators. Governance metrics use World Bank percentile ranks; battle deaths and military spending are context variables, not direct fertility drivers.
UN WPP 2024 — verified data through 2100
| Year | Population | TFR | Life Exp. | CBR | CDR | Net Migration | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 2.79M | 7.04 | 49.4 | 50.3 | 16.7 | -5K | 3.4% |
| 1955 | 3.26M | 7.10 | 51.4 | 48.5 | 15.7 | -6K | 3.3% |
| 1960 | 3.81M | 7.19 | 53.5 | 47.5 | 14.2 | -8K | 3.3% |
| 1965 | 4.46M | 7.23 | 55.9 | 46.4 | 12.5 | -10K | 3.4% |
| 1970 | 5.22M | 6.98 | 57.8 | 45.5 | 11.2 | -24K | 3.4% |
| 1975 | 6.10M | 6.83 | 58.2 | 46.6 | 11.1 | -29K | 3.6% |
| 1980 | 7.04M | 6.52 | 59.1 | 44.8 | 10.6 | +391K | 3.4% |
| 1985 | 8.69M | 5.87 | 60.9 | 42.3 | 8.9 | +5K | 3.3% |
| 1990 | 10.1M | 4.88 | 58.3 | 35.5 | 9.3 | +5K | 2.6% |
| 1995 | 11.0M | 4.15 | 51.1 | 31.7 | 12.8 | -45K | 1.9% |
| 2000 | 11.9M | 4.01 | 46.0 | 36.1 | 16.3 | -165K | 2.0% |
| 2005 | 12.5M | 3.69 | 46.6 | 35.8 | 15.9 | -134K | 2.0% |
| 2010 | 13.4M | 4.04 | 51.9 | 37.9 | 12.7 | -109K | 2.5% |
| 2015 | 14.4M | 3.91 | 59.0 | 33.9 | 9.2 | -162K | 2.5% |
| 2020 | 15.5M | 3.75 | 61.5 | 31.0 | 8.1 | -89K | 2.3% |
| 2024Now | 16.6M | 3.67 | 63.1 | 29.9 | 7.5 | -61K | 2.2% |
| 2025 | 17.0M | 3.62 | 63.3 | 29.5 | 7.4 | -55K | 2.2% |
| 2030 | 18.6M | 3.38 | 64.7 | 28.6 | 7.0 | -61K | 2.2% |
| 2035 | 20.4M | 3.17 | 65.9 | 27.5 | 6.6 | -52K | 2.1% |
| 2040 | 22.3M | 2.99 | 67.0 | 25.8 | 6.4 | -61K | 1.9% |
| 2045 | 24.1M | 2.84 | 68.1 | 24.0 | 6.3 | -65K | 1.8% |
| 2050 | 25.9M | 2.69 | 69.1 | 22.3 | 6.4 | -62K | 1.6% |
| 2055 | 27.6M | 2.57 | 70.0 | 20.9 | 6.6 | -67K | 1.4% |
| 2060 | 29.1M | 2.46 | 70.8 | 19.8 | 6.8 | -76K | 1.3% |
| 2065 | 30.6M | 2.37 | 71.7 | 18.8 | 7.1 | -67K | 1.2% |
| 2070 | 32.0M | 2.28 | 72.5 | 17.9 | 7.3 | -77K | 1.1% |
| 2075 | 33.3M | 2.21 | 73.3 | 16.9 | 7.5 | -73K | 0.9% |
| 2080 | 34.4M | 2.15 | 74.0 | 16.0 | 7.8 | -70K | 0.8% |
| 2085 | 35.4M | 2.10 | 74.8 | 15.2 | 8.3 | -77K | 0.7% |
| 2090 | 36.2M | 2.05 | 75.6 | 14.5 | 8.7 | -68K | 0.6% |
| 2095 | 36.7M | 2.01 | 76.4 | 14.0 | 9.2 | -67K | 0.5% |
| 2100 | 37.2M | 1.97 | 77.2 | 13.5 | 9.5 | -78K | 0.4% |