Zimbabwe Population

Zimbabwe has declining but still moderately high fertility and a young population, alongside heavy economic emigration. Years of crisis have pushed many working-age people to South Africa and beyond, draining skills and adding to remittance flows. Growth continues, but the exodus of its young shapes the country's prospects.

Zimbabwe is home to about 17.1 million people in 2026, the 74th largest population of any country. A country of Eastern Africa, its trajectory to 2100 is governed by how births, deaths and migration play out. It packs in roughly 45 people per square kilometre.

Growth continues for Zimbabwe until around 2100, the year its population is set to crest at about 37.1 million. From there a slow fall takes it to roughly 37.1 million by century's end.

The median age is set to climb from about 18 today to roughly 36 by 2100, while life expectancy, near 63 years, keeps rising. For now it remains one of the world's youngest populations, with a large generation about to reach working age. A rising median age means fewer working-age people supporting each retiree over time.

With about 3.67 births per woman, Zimbabwe still has one of the higher fertility rates in the world, driving fast expansion. Emigration adds a further drag, as departures outnumber arrivals year to year.

The trajectory above is the UN's medium scenario. Wars, policy shifts, economic change and migration can all move the numbers, but the broad shape, growth followed by an eventual peak, is robust across the main variants.