Skip to content

Everything Africa. Clearly Explained.

The360Africa compass logoThe360AfricaEverything Africa
Southern Africa

Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe is a southernern African country of roughly 16.6M people, covering 390,757 km² with its capital at Harare. Its economy is worth about $35B in nominal terms, anchored by mining, agriculture, tourism.

Population
16.6M
Projected population, 2026
Source: UN World Population Prospects
Capital
Harare
GDP
$35B
Area
390,757 km²
Currency
Zimbabwean dollar

Map

Interactive map of ZimbabweSouthern AfricaMap placeholder

Overview

Zimbabwe is a southernern African country of roughly 16.6M people, covering 390,757 km² with its capital at Harare. Its economy is worth about $35B in nominal terms, anchored by mining, agriculture, tourism.

Government

Zimbabwe operates as a presidential republic. Independence: 1980. Executive, legislative and judicial functions are exercised from Harare.

Economy

Nominal GDP is approximately $35B, or around $2,105 per capita. The currency in circulation is the Zimbabwean dollar. Leading sectors are mining, agriculture, tourism.

Population

Zimbabwe has a projected population, 2026 of 16,629,567 people (United Nations Population Division, World Population Prospects 2024 Revision, Online Edition — medium variant), a density of roughly 43 people per km². Values from 2024 onwards are medium-variant projections rather than live counts.

Cities

The largest urban centres are Harare, Bulawayo, Chitungwiza. Harare serves as the seat of government.

History

Modern Zimbabwe took shape through pre-colonial states, the colonial partition of the late nineteenth century, and independence in 1980. Our History section covers each period in depth.

Languages

Widely used languages include English, Shona, Ndebele. Official-language policy shapes schooling, courts and broadcasting.

Culture

Music, cuisine, film, textiles and sport in Zimbabwe form part of a fast-growing creative economy with an expanding export footprint.

Education

Primary enrolment is near-universal in most of the region; the constraints sit at secondary completion, technical training and higher-education funding.

Healthcare

Health spending across Africa averages about 5.7% of GDP. Zimbabwe's system combines public facilities, private providers and donor-funded programmes.

Business

Company registration, tax administration and access to finance are the practical determinants of doing business in Zimbabwe. See our Business section for sector reporting.

Investment

Investors typically look at mining, infrastructure and consumer services. Regulatory clarity and FX access are the recurring diligence questions.

Tourism

Visitors come for landscape, heritage and city life. Entry requirements, seasonality and internal transport are covered in our Travel guides.

Transportation

Road remains dominant; rail, ports and aviation capacity vary sharply and are the focus of most current infrastructure investment.

Infrastructure

Electricity access, broadband coverage and logistics quality are the three infrastructure metrics most closely tied to Zimbabwe's growth outlook.

Statistics

Full time series for population, GDP, trade, inflation, internet usage, education, health, tourism, agriculture and climate are published in The360Africa Data Center.

Frequently asked questions

Related articles

The360Africa Briefing

Everything Africa, in your inbox

One weekly digest of the reporting, research and data that matters. No noise, no filler, unsubscribe in one click.