Background: The UK annexed Southern Rhodesia from the former British South Africa Company in 1923. A 1961 constitution was formulated that favored whites in power. In 1965 the government unilaterally declared its independence, but the UK did not recognize the act and demanded more complete voting rights for the black African majority in the country (then called Rhodesia). UN sanctions and a guerrilla uprising finally led to free elections in 1979 and independence (as Zimbabwe) in 1980. Robert MUGABE, the nation's first prime minister, has been the country's only ruler (as president since 1987) and has dominated the country's political system since independence. His chaotic land redistribution campaign, which began in 1997 and intensified after 2000, caused an exodus of white farmers, crippled the economy, and ushered in widespread shortages of basic commodities. Ignoring international condemnation, MUGABE rigged the 2002 presidential election to ensure his reelection.In 2005, the capital city of Harare embarked on Operation Restore Order, ostensibly an urban rationalization program, which resulted in the destruction of the homes or businesses of 700,000 mostly poor supporters of the opposition. MUGABE in 2007 instituted price controls on all basic commodities causing panic buying and leaving store shelves empty for months. General elections held in March 2008 contained irregularities but still amounted to a censure of the ZANU-PF-led government with the opposition winning a majority of seats in parliament. Movement for Democratic Change - Tsvangirai opposition leader Morgan TSVANGIRAI won the most votes in the presidential poll, but not enough to win outright. In the lead up to a run-off election in June 2008, considerable violence against opposition party members led to the withdrawal of TSVANGIRAI from the ballot. Extensive evidence of violence and intimidation resulted in international condemnation of the process. Difficult negotiations over a power-sharing 'government of national unity,' in which MUGABE remained president and TSVANGIRAI became prime minister, were finally settled in February 2009, although the leaders failed to agree upon many key outstanding governmental issues. MUGABE was reelected president in 2013 in balloting that was severely flawed and internationally condemned. As a prerequisite to holding the election, Zimbabwe enacted a new constitution by referendum, although many provisions in the new constitution have yet to be codified in law. In November 2017, Vice President Emmerson MNANGAGWA took over following a military intervention that forced MUGABE to resign. MNANGAGWA was inaugurated president days later, promising to hold presidential elections in 2018.

Geographic coordinates: 20 00 S, 30 00 E

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 390,757 km²
Land: 386,847 km²
Water: 3,910 km²
Rank: 62
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 1402 km; , South Africa 230 km; , Zambia 763 km

Coastline: 0 km
Note: (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
Mean elevation: 961 m
Elevation extremes: 162 m
Note: lowest point: junction of the Runde and Save Rivers

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

Land use
Agricultural land: 42.5% (2011 est.)
Forest: 39.5% (2011 est.)
Other: 18% (2011 est.)

Irrigated land: 1740 km² (2012)

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 km³; 43 m³i)

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:
Rank: 73
Growth rate: 1.68% (2018 est.)
Growth rate rank: 60
Below poverty line: 72.3% (2012 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.Historically, the vast majority of Zimbabwe’s migration has been internal - a rural-urban flow. In terms of international migration, over the last 40 years Zimbabwe has gradually shifted from being a destination country to one of emigration and, to a lesser degree, one of transit (for East African illegal migrants traveling to South Africa). As a British colony, Zimbabwe attracted significant numbers of permanent immigrants from the UK and other European countries, as well as temporary economic migrants from Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia. Although Zimbabweans have migrated to South Africa since the beginning of the 20th century to work as miners, the first major exodus from the country occurred in the years before and after independence in 1980. The outward migration was politically and racially influenced; a large share of the white population of European origin chose to leave rather than live under a new black-majority government.In the 1990s and 2000s, economic mismanagement and hyperinflation sparked a second, more diverse wave of emigration. This massive out migration - primarily to other southern African countries, the UK, and the US - has created a variety of challenges, including brain drain, illegal migration, and human smuggling and trafficking. Several factors have pushed highly skilled workers to go abroad, including unemployment, lower wages, a lack of resources, and few opportunities for career growth.

Age structure
0-14 years: 38.62% (male 2,681,192 /female 2,736,876)
15-24 years: 20.42% (male 1,403,715 /female 1,461,168)
25-54 years: 32.22% (male 2,286,915 /female 2,234,158)
55-64 years: 4.24% (male 233,021 /female 361,759)
65 years and over: 4.5% (male 255,704 /female 375,860) (2018 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 79.5 (2015 est.)
Youth dependency ratio: 74.4 (2015 est.)
Elderly dependency ratio: 5.1 (2015 est.)
Potential support ratio: 19.7 (2015 est.)

Median age
Total: 20.2 years
Male: 19.9 years
Female: 20.4 years (2018 est.)
Rank: 190

Population growth rate: 1.68% (2018 est.)
Rank: 60

Birth rate: 34 births/1000 population (2018 est.)
Rank: 25

Death rate: 9.9 deaths/1000 population (2018 est.)
Rank: 41

Net migration rate: -8.5 migrant(s)/1000 population (2017 est.)
Rank: 209

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

Urbanization
Urban population: 32.2% of total population
Note: (2015-20 est.)
Rate of urbanization: 2.19% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: 1.515 million HARARE (capital) (2018)

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, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
0-14 years: 1.02 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
15-24 years: 1.02 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
25-54 years: 1.1 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
55-64 years: 0.58 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
65 years and over: 0.64 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
Total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth:

Infant mortality rate
Total: 31.9 deaths/1000 live births (2018 est.)
Male: 35.9 deaths/1000 live births (2018 est.)
Female: 27.7 deaths/1000 live births (2018 est.)
Rank: 57

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 61.1 years (2018 est.)
Male: 59 years (2018 est.)
Female: 63.2 years (2018 est.)
Rank: 205

Total fertility rate: 3.97 children born/woman (2018 est.)
Rank: 33

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 66.8% (2015)

Drinking water source
Urban: 3% of population
Rural: 32.7% of population
Total: 23.1% of population (2015 est.)

Physicians density: 0.08 physicians/1000 population (2014)

Hospital bed density: 1.7 beds/1000 population (2011)

Sanitation facility access
Urban: 50.7% of population (2015 est.)
Rural: 69.2% of population (2015 est.)
Total: 63.2% of population (2015 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 13.3% (2017 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 5
People living with hivaids: 1.3 million (2017 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 8
Deaths: 22,000 (2017 est.)
Deaths rank: 11

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: high (2016)
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever (2016)
Vectorborne diseases: malaria and dengue fever (2016)
Water contact diseases: schistosomiasis (2016)
Animal contact diseases: rabies (2016)

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 15.5% (2016)
Rank: 126

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 8.4% (2015)
Rank: 69

Education expenditures: 8.4% of GDP (2014)
Rank: 7

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write English (2015 est.)
Total population: 86.5% (2015 est.)
Male: 88.5% (2015 est.)
Female: 84.6% (2015 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 10 years (2013)
Male: 10 years (2013)
Female: 10 years (2013)

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: semi-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)

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

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 (2017)
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 by 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 (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 24 November 2017); First Vice President Constantino CHIWENGA (since 28 December 2017); note - Robert Gabriel MUGABE resigned on 21 November 2017, after ruling for 37 years
Head of government: President Emmerson Dambudzo MNANGAGWA (since 24 November 2017); First Vice President Constantino CHIWENGA (since 28 December 2017)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by president, responsible to National Assembly
Electionsappointments: 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 3 July 2018 (next to be held in 2023); co-vice presidents drawn from party leadership
Election results: Emmerson MNANGAGWA reelected president in 1st round of voting; percent of vote - Emmerson MNANGAGWA (ZANU-PF) 50.8%, Nelson CHAMISA (MDC-T) 44.3%, Thokozani KHUP (MDC-N) .9%, other 3%

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: Freedom Front [Cosmas MPONDA]MDC Alliance [Nelson CHAMISA]Movement for Democratic Change - Ncube or MDC-N [Welshman NCUBE]Movement for Democratic Change - MDC-T [leadership contested between Nelson CHAMISA and Thokozani KHUPE]National People's Party or NPP [Joyce MUJURU] formerly Zimbabwe People First or ZimPF)National Patriotic Front or NPF [Ambrose MUTINHIRI]Peoples Democratic Party or PDP [Tendai BITI]Transform Zimbabwe or TZ [Jacob NGARIVHUME]Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front or ZANU-PF [Emmerson Dambudzo MNANGAGWA]Zimbabwe African Peoples Union or ZAPU [Dumiso DABENGWA]Zimbabwe People First or ZimFirst [Maxwell SHUMBA]

International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, 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, UNMIL, UNMISS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Ammon MUTEMBWA (since 18 November 2014)
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
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Brian A. NICHOLS (since 19 July 2018)
From the us embassy: 172 Herbert Chitepo Avenue, Harare
From the us mailing address: P.O. Box 3,340, Harare
From the us telephone: [263] (4) 250-593 through 250-594
From the us FAX: [263] (4) 796-488

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)
Lyricsmusic: Solomon MUTSWAIRO/Fred Lecture CHANGUNDEGA: note: adopted 1994

Economy overview: Zimbabwe's economy depends heavily on its mining and agriculture sectors. Following a contraction from 1998 to 2008, the economy recorded real growth of more than 10% per year in the period 2010-13, before falling below 3% in the period 2014-17, due to poor harvests, low diamond revenues, and decreased investment. Lower mineral prices, infrastructure and regulatory deficiencies, a poor investment climate, a large public and external debt burden, and extremely high government wage expenses impede the country’s economic performance.Until early 2009, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) routinely printed money to fund the budget deficit, causing hyperinflation. Adoption of a multi-currency basket in early 2009 - which allowed currencies such as the Botswana pula, the South Africa rand, and the US dollar to be used locally - reduced inflation below 10% per year. In January 2015, as part of the government’s effort to boost trade and attract foreign investment, the RBZ announced that the Chinese renmimbi, Indian rupee, Australian dollar, and Japanese yen would be accepted as legal tender in Zimbabwe, though transactions were predominantly carried out in US dollars and South African rand until 2016, when the rand’s devaluation and instability led to near-exclusive use of the US dollar. The government in November 2016 began releasing bond notes, a parallel currency legal only in Zimbabwe which the government claims will have a one-to-one exchange ratio with the US dollar, to ease cash shortages. Bond notes began trading at a discount of up to 10% in the black market by the end of 2016.Zimbabwe’s government entered a second Staff Monitored Program with the IMF in 2014 and undertook other measures to reengage with international financial institutions. Zimbabwe repaid roughly $108 million in arrears to the IMF in October 2016, but financial observers note that Zimbabwe is unlikely to gain new financing because the government has not disclosed how it plans to repay more than $1.7 billion in arrears to the World Bank and African Development Bank. International financial institutions want Zimbabwe to implement significant fiscal and structural reforms before granting new loans. Foreign and domestic investment continues to be hindered by the lack of land tenure and titling, the inability to repatriate dividends to investors overseas, and the lack of clarity regarding the government’s Indigenization and Economic Empowerment Act.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 127

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 93

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 203

Gross national saving:
Rank: 74

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: tobacco, corn, cotton, wheat, coffee, sugarcane, peanuts; sheep, goats, pigs

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: 0.3% (2017 est.)
Rank: 167

Labor force: 7.907 million (2017 est.)
Rank: 64
By occupation agriculture: 67.5%
By occupation industry: 7.3%
By occupation services: 25.2% (2017 est.)

Unemployment rate:
Rank: 154

Population below poverty line: 72.3% (2012 est.)

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

Distribution of family income gini index:
Rank: 48

Budget
Revenues: 3.8 billion (2017 est.)
Expenditures: 5.5 billion (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit: -9.6% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 208

Taxes and other revenues: 21.5% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Rank: 138

Public debt:
Rank: 34

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Rank: 49

Central bank discount rate:
Rank: 46

Commercial bank prime lending rate:
Rank: 22

Stock of narrow money:
Rank: 109

Stock of broad money:
Rank: 114

Stock of domestic credit:
Rank: 115

Market value of publicly traded shares:
Rank: 88

Current account balance:
Rank: 130

Exports:
Rank: 115
Partners: South Africa 50.3%, Mozambique 22.5%, UAE 9.8%, Zambia 4.9% (2017)
Commodities: platinum, cotton, tobacco, gold, ferroalloys, textiles/clothing

Imports:
Rank: 122
Commodities: machinery and transport equipment, other manufactures, chemicals, fuels, food products
Partners: South Africa 47.8%, Zambia 20.5% (2017)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Rank: 157

Debt external:
Rank: 116

Stock of direct foreign investment at home:
Rank: 110

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad:
Rank: 102

Exchange rates:
Date: (2013)

Electricity
Access population without electricity: 8.5 million (2013)
Access electrification total population: 40% (2013)
Access electrification urban areas: 80% (2013)
Access electrification rural areas: 21% (2013)
Production: 6.8 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Production rank: 113
Consumption: 7.118 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Consumption rank: 108
Exports: 1.239 billion kWh (2015 est.)
Exports rank: 54
Imports: 2.22 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Imports rank: 54
Installed generating capacity: 2.122 million kW (2016 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 111
Generation sources fossil fuels: 58% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 136
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 215
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 37% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 58
Generation sources other renewable sources: 5% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 110

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 217
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 218
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 218
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2018 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 215

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products production rank: 217
Products consumption: 27,000 bbl/day (2016 est.)
Products consumption rank: 127
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products exports rank: 217
Products imports: 26,400 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports rank: 104

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Production rank: 217
Consumption: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Consumption rank: 216
Exports: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Exports rank: 216
Imports: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Imports rank: 216
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2014 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 210

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 12.06 million Mt (2017 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 100

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 264,150 (2017 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 2 (2017 est.)
Fixed lines rank: 119
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 14,092,104 (2017 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 102 (2017 est.)
Mobile cellular rank: 68

Telephone system
General assessment: competition has driven rapid expansion of telecommunications, particularly cellular voice and mobile broadband, in recent years; continued economic instability and infrastructure limitations, such as reliable power, hinder progress (2017)
Domestic: consists of microwave radio relay links, open-wire lines, radiotelephone communication stations, fixed wireless local loop installations, fiber-optic cable, VSAT terminals, and a substantial mobile-cellular network; Internet connection is most readily available in Harare and major towns; two government owned and two private cellular providers; 3G and VoIP services are widely available with 4G/LTE service being deployed (2017)
International: country code - 263; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat; 5 international digital gateway exchanges; fiber-optic connections to neighboring states provide access to international networks via undersea cable (2017)

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: 3,363,256 (July 2016 est.)
Users percent of population: 23.1% (July 2016 est.)
Users rank: 94

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 187,310 (2017 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 1 (2017 est.)
Rank: 109

Military expenditures:
Rank: 45

Military service age and obligation: 18-24 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription; women are eligible to serve (2012)

National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 2 (2015)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 4 (2015)
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 370,164 (2015)
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 962,642
Note: mt-km (2015)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: Z (2016)

Airports: 196 (2013)
Rank: 29
With paved runways total: 17 (2013)
With paved runways over 3047 m: 3 (2013)
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 2 (2013)
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 5 (2013)
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 7 (2013)
With unpaved runways total: 179 (2013)
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 3 (2013)
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 104 (2013)
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 72 (2013)

Pipelines: 270 km refined products (2013)

Railways
Total: 3,427 km (2014)
Narrow gauge: 3,427 km
Note: 1.067-m gauge (313 km electrified) (2014)
Rank: 57

Roadways
Total: 97,267 km (2002)
Paved: 18,481 km (2002)
Unpaved: 78,786 km (2002)
Rank: 49

Waterways
Note: (some navigation possible on Lake Kariba) (2011)

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

Disputes international: Namibia has supported, and in 2004 Zimbabwe dropped objections to, plans between Botswana and Zambia to build a bridge over the Zambezi River, thereby de facto recognizing a short, but not clearly delimited, Botswana-Zambia boundary in the riverSouth Africa has placed military units to assist police operations along the border of Lesotho, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique to control smuggling, poaching, and illegal migration

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees: 9,997 (Democratic Republic of Congo) (refugees and asylum seekers), Mozambique 8,312 (refugees and asylum seekers) (2018)
IDPs: undetermined (political violence, violence in association with the 2008 election, human rights violations, land reform, and economic collapse) (2015)
Stateless persons: 300,000 (2016)

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