Zimbabwe
- Capital:
- Harare
- Continent:
- Africa
- Region(s):
- Eastern Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa
- Largest Cities:
- Harare, Bulawayo, Chitungwiza
- Abbreviation:
- ZWE
* As of 6/9/2025
1 birth
Every 1.1 minutes
1 death
Every 4.2 minutes
1 emigrant
Every 9.7 minutes
1 person
Every 1.6 minutes
Bantu-speaking ethnic groups account for 98% of Zimbabwe’s population. The largest group is the Shona, comprising 70%, followed by the Ndebele at 20%. The Ndebele are descendants of the Zulu migrations during the 19th century and the tribes with which they intermarried. It’s estimated that about 1 million Ndebele have left Zimbabwe in the last 5 years. There are also other Bantu ethnic groups, including Venda, Tonga, Shangaan, Nambya and Kalanga.
White Zimbabweans account for less than 1% of the country’s population, and most are of British origin with small numbers of Greek, Portuguese, French and Dutch. In 1975, the white population reached a peak of 4.3%. Mixed race people account for 0.5% of the population.
Christianity is by far the dominant religion in Zimbabwe, with 69.2% professing to be Protestant, and 8.0% practicing Catholicism, and 6.9% nondenominational Christian- totaling 84.1% of the population. The next most common belief in Zimbabwe is no belief at all- with 10.2% of the population declaring themselves Atheist or agnostic. The remaining 5.7% of the population either practice a traditional African religion or are Muslim.
In 2006, Zimbabwe had the lowest life expectancy in the world, and an alarming HIV rate. It’s estimated 14% of people between 15-49 are infected, with 21% of women infected with HIV. The access to clean drinking water has been improved for 96.1% of the population. In terms of improved sanitation facility access, only 85.2% has improved access. 94.5% of the population is literate, with a national expenditure of 5.3% of the GDP. 37.9% of the population in Zimbabwe lives in extreme poverty.
What we know as Zimbabwe today, began its formation when refugees fleeing Zulu violence or migrating from Boer moved to the land from the south in the 1830s. Around the same time, Europeans began exploring and expressing interest in the region. Zimbabwe was declared a British colony in 1889, bringing an influx of European settlers. Zimbabwe became an independent country under the rule of the white minority in 1965 causing civil and international outrage. Zimbabwe gained full independence in 1980.
The people of Zimbabwe have long experienced poverty, and it came to a head in the early 2000s when a state of disaster was declared due to food shortages. In 2005, the government lead an initiative to “clean up” the country, by destroying the dwellings of its poorest citizens, leaving 700,000 people homeless in 2005.