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Zimbabwe — Population growth
Population Growth (Annual %) for Zimbabwe, 1961–2025.
Latest value · 2025
1.88%
Population Growth (Annual %) · annual % · -39.7% since 1961
Population growth for Zimbabwe was 1.88% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 65 years, from 1961 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 6.29% in 1981. The lowest was 0.12% in 1994 (about 15.9× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to -0.79% per year.
Zimbabwe ranks 54 of 217 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 25%. The median for Sub-Saharan Africa is 2.30%, so Zimbabwe sits below it. It peaked in 1981 and has fallen 70% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved up 41%.
Key figures
Latest (2025)
1.88%
First (1961)
3.13%
Change
-39.7%
Highest
6.29%
in 1981
Lowest
0.12%
in 1994
Average
2.30%
Annual growth (CAGR)
-0.79%
Years of data
65
Recent years
| Year | annual % |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 1.88% |
| 2024 | 1.78% |
| 2023 | 1.68% |
| 2022 | 1.71% |
| 2021 | 1.73% |
| 2020 | 1.66% |
| 2019 | 1.56% |
| 2018 | 1.49% |
| 2017 | 1.44% |
| 2016 | 1.39% |
| 2015 | 1.34% |
| 2014 | 1.37% |
Reading this correctly. Annual population growth rate. A negative value means the population shrank, usually through emigration or low birth rates. Figures are in annual %. Comparing this series with a different measure of the same concept (for example a nominal figure against a purchasing-power-parity figure) will give misleading results.
Related data
Source. World Bank Open Data, indicator
SP.POP.GROW — Population Growth (Annual %). Data licensed under CC BY 4.0. Values are reproduced as published; this page computes the summary statistics (change, CAGR, extremes) from the underlying annual series. View the original dataset on data.worldbank.org.