Map of Zimbabwe | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 | More stats

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Background:


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Location: Southern Africa, between South Africa and Zambia

Geographic coordinates: 20 00 S, 30 00 E

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 390,757 km²
Land: 386,847 km²
Water: 3,910 km²
Comparative: about four times the size of Indiana; slightly larger than Montana

Land boundaries
Total: 3,229 km
Border countries: (4) Botswana 834 km; Mozambique 1,402 km; South Africa 230 km; Zambia 763 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Climate: tropical; moderated by altitude; rainy season (November to March)

Terrain: mostly high plateau with higher central plateau (high veld); mountains in east

Elevation
Highest point: Inyangani 2,592 m
Lowest point: junction of the Runde and Save Rivers 162 m
Mean elevation: 961 m

Natural resources: coal, chromium ore, asbestos, gold, nickel, copper, iron ore, vanadium, lithium, tin, platinum group metals

Land use
Agricultural land: 42.5% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land arable land: 10.9% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent crops: 0.3% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent pasture: 31.3% (2018 est.)
Forest: 39.5% (2018 est.)
Other: 18% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land: 1,740 km² (2012)

Major rivers
By length in km:

Major watersheds area km²:

Total water withdrawal
Municipal: 650 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Industrial: 80 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Agricultural: 3.04 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

Total renewable water resources: 20 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

Natural hazards: recurring droughts; floods and severe storms are rare

Geography
Note: landlocked; the Zambezi forms a natural riverine boundary with Zambia; in full flood (February-April) the massive Victoria Falls on the river forms the world's largest curtain of falling water; Lake Kariba on the Zambia-Zimbabwe border forms the world's largest reservoir by volume (180 cu km; 43 m³i)


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Population
Distribution: Aside from major urban agglomerations in Harare and Bulawayo, population distribution is fairly even, with slightly greater overall numbers in the eastern half as shown in this [link]: 15,418,674 (2023 est.)
Growth rate: 1.99% (2023 est.)
Below poverty line: 38.3% (2019 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Zimbabwean(s)
Adjective: Zimbabwean

Ethnic groups: African 99.4% (predominantly Shona; Ndebele is the second largest ethnic group), other 0.4%, unspecified 0.2% (2012 est.)

Languages: Shona (official; most widely spoken), Ndebele (official, second most widely spoken), English (official; traditionally used for official business), 13 minority languages (official; includes Chewa, Chibarwe, Kalanga, Koisan, Nambya, Ndau, Shangani, sign language, Sotho, Tonga, Tswana, Venda, and Xhosa)

Religions: Protestant 74.8% (includes Apostolic 37.5%, Pentecostal 21.8%, other 15.5%), Roman Catholic 7.3%, other Christian 5.3%, traditional 1.5%, Muslim 0.5%, other 0.1%, none 10.5% (2015 est.)

Demographic profile: Zimbabwe’s progress in reproductive, maternal, and child health has stagnated in recent years. According to a 2010 Demographic and Health Survey, contraceptive use, the number of births attended by skilled practitioners, and child mortality have either stalled or somewhat deteriorated since the mid-2000s. Zimbabwe’s total fertility rate has remained fairly stable at about 4 children per woman for the last two decades, although an uptick in the urban birth rate in recent years has caused a slight rise in the country’s overall fertility rate. Zimbabwe’s HIV prevalence rate dropped from approximately 29% to 15% since 1997 but remains among the world’s highest and continues to suppress the country’s life expectancy rate. The proliferation of HIV/AIDS information and prevention programs and personal experience with those suffering or dying from the disease have helped to change sexual behavior and reduce the epidemic.

Age structure
0-14 years: 38.16% (male 2,920,951/female 2,962,652)
15-64 years: 57.32% (male 4,417,612/female 4,419,769)
65 years and over: 4.52% (2023 est.) (male 269,329/female 428,361)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 79.4
Youth dependency ratio: 73.4
Elderly dependency ratio: 6
Potential support ratio: 16.6 (2021 est.)

Median age
Total: 21 years (2023 est.)
Male: 20.2 years
Female: 21.8 years

Population growth rate: 1.99% (2023 est.)

Birth rate: 29.4 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate: 6.7 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Net migration rate: -2.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution: Aside from major urban agglomerations in Harare and Bulawayo, population distribution is fairly even, with slightly greater overall numbers in the eastern half as shown in this [link]

Urbanization
Urban population: 32.5% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 2.41% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: 1.578 million HARARE (capital) (2023)

Environment
Current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; land degradation; air and water pollution; the black rhinoceros herd - once the largest concentration of the species in the world - has been significantly reduced by poaching; poor mining practices have led to toxic waste and heavy metal pollution
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
International agreements signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants
Particulate matter emissions: 13.08 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: 10.98 megatons (2016 est.)
Methane emissions: 12.1 megatons (2020 est.)

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.63 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2023 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 20.3 years (2015 est.)
Note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-49

Maternal mortality ratio: 357 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 34 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
Male: 37.7 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 30.2 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 66.8 years (2023 est.)
Male: 65.2 years
Female: 68.5 years

Total fertility rate: 3.51 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 66.8% (2015)

Drinking water source
Improved urban: 97.9% of population
Improved rural: 66.9% of population
Improved total: 76.9% of population
Unimproved urban: 2.1% of population
Unimproved rural: 33.1% of population
Unimproved total: 23.1% of population (2020 est.)

Current health expenditure: 3.4% of GDP (2020)

Physicians density: 0.2 physicians/1,000 population (2020)

Hospital bed density: 1.7 beds/1,000 population (2011)

Sanitation facility access
Improved urban:
Unimproved urban:

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: high (2023)
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases: malaria and dengue fever
Water contact diseases: schistosomiasis
Animal contact diseases: rabies

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 15.5% (2016)

Alcohol consumption
Per capita total: 3.11 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita beer: 1.2 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita wine: 0.05 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita spirits: 0.39 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita other alcohols: 1.47 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Tobacco use
Total: 11.7% (2020 est.)
Male: 21.8% (2020 est.)
Female: 1.5% (2020 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 9.7% (2019)

Education expenditures: 3.9% of GDP (2018 est.)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write English
Total population: 89.7%
Male: 88.3%
Female: 93.7% (2021)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 11 years
Male: 12 years
Female: 11 years (2013)

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 7.3% (2021 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 6.2%
Rate ages 15 24 female: 8.5%


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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Zimbabwe
Conventional short form: Zimbabwe
Former: Southern Rhodesia, Rhodesia, Zimbabwe-Rhodesia
Etymology: takes its name from the Kingdom of Zimbabwe (13th-15th century) and its capital of Great Zimbabwe, the largest stone structure in pre-colonial southern Africa

Government type: presidential republic

Capital
Name: Harare
Geographic coordinates: 17 49 S, 31 02 E
Time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Etymology: named after a village of Harare at the site of the present capital; the village name derived from a Shona chieftain, NE-HARAWA, whose name meant "he who does not sleep"

Administrative divisions: 8 provinces and 2 cities* with provincial status; Bulawayo*, Harare*, Manicaland, Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland East, Mashonaland West, Masvingo, Matabeleland North, Matabeleland South, Midlands

Dependent areas

Independence: 18 April 1980 (from the UK)

National holiday: Independence Day, 18 April (1980)

Constitution
History: previous 1965 (at Rhodesian independence), 1979 (Lancaster House Agreement), 1980 (at Zimbabwean independence); latest final draft completed January 2013, approved by referendum 16 March 2013, approved by Parliament 9 May 2013, effective 22 May 2013
Amendments: proposed by the Senate or by the National Assembly; passage requires two-thirds majority vote by the membership of both houses of Parliament and assent of the president of the republic; amendments to constitutional chapters on fundamental human rights and freedoms and on agricultural lands also require approval by a majority of votes cast in a referendum; amended many times, last in 2017

Legal system: mixed legal system of English common law, Roman-Dutch civil law, and customary law

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: the father must be a citizen of Zimbabwe; in the case of a child born out of wedlock, the mother must be a citizen
Dual citizenship recognized: no
Residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Emmerson Dambudzo MNANGAGWA (since 4 September 2023); First Vice President Constantino CHIWENGA (since 4 September 2023); note - Robert Gabriel MUGABE resigned on 21 November 2017, after ruling for 37 years
Head of government: President Emmerson Dambudzo MNANGAGWA (since 4 September 2023); First Vice President Constantino CHIWENGA (since 4 September 2023); Second Vice President Kembo MOHADI (8 September 2023)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by president, responsible to National Assembly
Elections/appointments: each presidential candidate nominated with a nomination paper signed by at least 10 registered voters (at least 1 candidate from each province) and directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (no term limits); election last held on 23 August 2023 (next to be held in 2,028); co-vice presidents drawn from party leadership
Election results:

Legislative branch
Description:
Elections:

Judicial branch
Highest courts: Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice and 4 judges); Constitutional Court (consists of the chief and deputy chief justices and 9 judges)
Judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges appointed by the president upon recommendation of the Judicial Service Commission, an independent body consisting of the chief justice, Public Service Commission chairman, attorney general, and 2-3 members appointed by the president; judges normally serve until age 65 but can elect to serve until age 70; Constitutional Court judge appointment NA; judges serve nonrenewable 15-year terms
Subordinate courts: High Court; Labor Court; Administrative Court; regional magistrate courts; customary law courts; special courts

Political parties and leaders:

International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, ATMIS, AU, COMESA, FAO, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PCA, SADC, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNISFA, UNMIL, UNMISS, UNOCI, UNSOM, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Tadeous Tafirenyika CHIFAMBA (since 7 July 2021)
In the us chancery: 1608 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,009
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 332-7,100
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 483-9,326
In the us email address and website:
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d'Affaires Elaine M. FRENCH (since August 2022)
From the us embassy: 2 Lorraine Drive, Bluffhill, Harare
From the us mailing address: 2,180 Harare Place, Washington DC 20,521-2,180
From the us telephone: [263] 867-701-1000
From the us FAX: [263] 24-233-4,320
From the us email address and website:

Flag description: seven equal horizontal bands of green (top), yellow, red, black, red, yellow, and green with a white isosceles triangle edged in black with its base on the hoist side; a yellow Zimbabwe bird representing the long history of the country is superimposed on a red five-pointed star in the center of the triangle, which symbolizes peace; green represents agriculture, yellow mineral wealth, red the blood shed to achieve independence, and black stands for the native people

National symbols: Zimbabwe bird symbol, African fish eagle, flame lily; national colors: green, yellow, red, black, white

National anthem
Name: "Kalibusiswe Ilizwe leZimbabwe" [Northern Ndebele language] "Simudzai Mureza WeZimbabwe" [Shona] (Blessed Be the Land of Zimbabwe)
Lyrics/music: Solomon MUTSWAIRO/Fred Lecture CHANGUNDEGA
Note: adopted 1994

National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites: 5 (3 cultural, 2 natural)
Selected World Heritage Site locales:


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Economy overview: low income Sub-Saharan economy; political instability, protest crackdowns, and COVID-19 have damaged economic potential; reliant on natural resource extraction and agriculture; endemic corruption; ongoing hyperinflation

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars

Real gdp growth rate:

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 77.6% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 24% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 12.6% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 0% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 25.6% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -39.9% (2017 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 12% (2017 est.)
Industry: 22.2% (2017 est.)
Services: 65.8% (2017 est.)

Agriculture products: sugar cane, maize, milk, tobacco, cassava, vegetables, bananas, beef, cotton, oranges

Industries: mining (coal, gold, platinum, copper, nickel, tin, diamonds, clay, numerous metallic and nonmetallic ores), steel; wood products, cement, chemicals, fertilizer, clothing and footwear, foodstuffs, beverages

Industrial production growth rate: 6.37% (2021 est.)

Labor force: 7.916 million (2021 est.)

Unemployment rate:
Note: data include both unemployment and underemployment; true unemployment is unknown and, under current economic conditions, unknowable

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 7.3% (2021 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 6.2%
Rate ages 15 24 female: 8.5%

Population below poverty line: 38.3% (2019 est.)

Gini index
Coefficient distribution of family income: 50.3 (2020 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10%: 2%
Highest 10%: 40.4% (1995)

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $17 million (2018 est.)
Expenditures: $23 million (2018 est.)
Surplus  or deficit: -9.6% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Taxes and other revenues: 7.21% (of GDP) (2018 est.)

Public debt:

Revenue
From forest resources: 1.61% of GDP (2018 est.)
From coal: 0.4% of GDP (2018 est.)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance:

Exports:
Partners: United Arab Emirates 40%, South Africa 23%, Mozambique 9% (2019)
Commodities: gold, tobacco, iron alloys, nickel, diamonds, jewelry (2019)

Imports:
Partners: South Africa 41%, Singapore 23%, China 8% (2019)
Commodities: refined petroleum, delivery trucks, packaged medicines, fertilizers, tractors (2019)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

Debt external:

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:
Note: the dollar was adopted as a legal currency in 2009; since then the Zimbabwean dollar has experienced hyperinflation and is essentially worthless


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Electricity
Access population without electricity: (2020) 7 million
Access electrification-total population: 48.9% (2021)
Access electrification-urban areas: 85.3% (2021)
Access electrification-rural areas: 31.6% (2021)
Installed generating capacity: 2.473 million kW (2020 est.)
Consumption: 10,928,240,000 kWh (2019 est.)
Exports: 504 million kWh (2019 est.)
Imports: 1.612 billion kWh (2019 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 1.491 billion kWh (2019 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 32.9% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources solar: 0.1% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources wind: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 65.3% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources biomass and waste: 1.7% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

Coal
Production: 3.888 million metric tons (2020 est.)
Consumption: 3.579 million metric tons (2020 est.)
Exports: 327,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
Imports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Proven reserves: 502 million metric tons (2019 est.)

Petroleum
Total petroleum production: 800 bbl/day (2021 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 27,300 bbl/day (2019 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate exports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate imports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil estimated reserves: 0 barrels (2021 est.)

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports: 26,400 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Consumption: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Exports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Imports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Proven reserves: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 7.902 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 3.963 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 3.94 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

Energy consumption per capita: 11.516 million Btu/person (2019 est.)


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 291,324 (2022 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 2 (2021 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 14,257,590 (2021 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 89 (2021 est.)

Telephone system

Broadcast media: government owns all local radio and TV stations; foreign shortwave broadcasts and satellite TV are available to those who can afford antennas and receivers; in rural areas, access to TV broadcasts is extremely limited; analog TV only, no digital service (2017)

Internet
Country code: .zw
Users total: 5.6 million (2021 est.)
Users percent of population: 35% (2021 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 203,461 (2020 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 1 (2020 est.)


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Military expenditures:

Military and security forces:

Military service age and obligation: 18-22 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women (18-24 for officer cadets; 18-30 for technical/specialist personnel); no conscription (2023)

Space program
Overview: has a nascent program with the goal of utilizing space technologies in economic development; particularly interested in remote sensing capabilities to assist with monitoring or managing agriculture and food security, climate change, disease outbreaks, environmental hazards and disasters, and natural resources, as well as weather forecasting; part of a joint project (BIRDS-5) with Japan, which seeks to promote the first steps towards creating an indigenous space program by designing, building, testing, launching, and operating the first satellites for participating countries (2023)
Overview note: further details about the key activities, programs, and milestones of the country’s space program, as well as government spending estimates on the space sector, appear in space programs

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 2 (2020)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 12
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 285,539 (2018)
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 670,000 (2018) mt-km

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: Z

Airports: 196 (2021)
With paved runways: 17
With paved runways note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)
With unpaved runways: 179
With unpaved runways note: unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length; airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control

Heliports

Pipelines: 270 km refined products (2013)

Railways
Total: 3,427 km (2014)
Narrow gauge: 3,427 km (2014) 1.067-m gauge (313 km electrified)

Roadways
Total: 97,267 km (2019)
Paved: 18,481 km (2019)
Unpaved: 78,786 km (2019)

Waterways: 223 km (2022) some navigation possible on Lake Kariba (223 km)

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals
River ports: Binga, Kariba (Zambezi)


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Disputes international:

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees country of origin: 12,014 (Democratic Republic of Congo) (refugees and asylum seekers), 9,931 (Mozambique) (2023)

Illicit drugs: transit point for cannabis and South Asian heroin, methaqualone, and methamphetamines en route to South Africa