Capital

Simbabwe

name: Harare

geographic coordinates: 17 49 S, 31 02 E

time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

etymology: named after a village of Harare at the site of the present capital; the village name derived from a Shona chieftain, NE-HARAWA, whose name meant "he who does not sleep"

Citizenship

Simbabwe

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

Legal system

Simbabwe

mixed legal system of English common law, Roman-Dutch civil law, and customary law

Suffrage

Simbabwe

18 years of age; universal

Area

Simbabwe

total: 390,757 sq km

land: 386,847 sq km

water: 3,910 sq km

Land use

Simbabwe

agricultural land: 42.5% (2018 est.)

arable land: 10.9% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 0.3% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 31.3% (2018 est.)

forest: 39.5% (2018 est.)

other: 18% (2018 est.)

Location

Simbabwe

Southern Africa, between South Africa and Zambia

Age structure

Simbabwe

0-14 years: 38.16% (male 2,920,951/female 2,962,652)

15-64 years: 57.32% (male 4,417,612/female 4,419,769)

65 years and over: 4.52% (2023 est.) (male 269,329/female 428,361)

Birth rate

Simbabwe

29.4 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate

Simbabwe

6.7 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Languages

Simbabwe

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)

Life expectancy at birth

Simbabwe

total population: 66.8 years (2023 est.)

male: 65.2 years

female: 68.5 years

Major urban areas - population

Simbabwe

1.578 million HARARE (capital) (2023)

Median age

Simbabwe

total: 21 years (2023 est.)

male: 20.2 years

female: 21.8 years

Mother's mean age at first birth

Simbabwe

20.3 years (2015 est.)

note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-49

Net migration rate

Simbabwe

-2.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution

Simbabwe

Aside from major urban agglomerations in Harare and Bulawayo, population distribution is fairly even, with slightly greater overall numbers in the eastern half as shown in this population distribution map

Population growth rate

Simbabwe

1.99% (2023 est.)

Total fertility rate

Simbabwe

3.51 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Urbanization

Simbabwe

urban population: 32.5% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization: 2.41% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Education expenditures

Simbabwe

3.9% of GDP (2018 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

Simbabwe

total: 11 years

male: 12 years

female: 11 years (2013)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

Simbabwe

-9.6% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Industrial production growth rate

Simbabwe

6.37% (2021 est.)

Labor force

Simbabwe

7.916 million (2021 est.)

Population below poverty line

Simbabwe

38.3% (2019 est.)

Unemployment rate

Simbabwe

5.17% (2021 est.)

5.35% (2020 est.)

4.83% (2019 est.)

note: data include both unemployment and underemployment; true unemployment is unknown and, under current economic conditions, unknowable

Public debt

Simbabwe

82.3% of GDP (2017 est.)

69.9% of GDP (2016 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Simbabwe

98.55% (2021 est.)

557.2% (2020 est.)

255.3% (2019 est.)

Exports

Simbabwe

$5.263 billion (2020 est.)

$5.267 billion (2019 est.)

$5.178 billion (2018 est.)

Exports - partners

Simbabwe

United Arab Emirates 40%, South Africa 23%, Mozambique 9% (2019)

Imports

Simbabwe

$5.489 billion (2020 est.)

$5.398 billion (2019 est.)

$7.642 billion (2018 est.)

Imports - partners

Simbabwe

South Africa 41%, Singapore 23%, China 8% (2019)

Airports

Simbabwe

196 (2021)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

Simbabwe

total: 203,461 (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 1 (2020 est.)

Internet users

Simbabwe

total: 5.6 million (2021 est.)

percent of population: 35% (2021 est.)

Railways

Simbabwe

total: 3,427 km (2014)

narrow gauge: 3,427 km (2014) 1.067-m gauge (313 km electrified)

Roadways

Simbabwe

total: 97,267 km (2019)

paved: 18,481 km (2019)

unpaved: 78,786 km (2019)

Telephones - fixed lines

Simbabwe

total subscriptions: 243,421 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 2 (2021 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

Simbabwe

total subscriptions: 14,257,590 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 89 (2021 est.)

Waterways

Simbabwe

223 km (2022) some navigation possible on Lake Kariba (223 km)

Disputes - international

Simbabwe

Zimbabwe-Mozambique: none identified

Zimbabwe-South Africa: South Africa has placed military units to assist police operations along the border of Lesotho, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique to control smuggling, poaching, and illegal migration

Zimbabwe-Zambia: 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 river; in May 2021, Botswana and Zambia agreed in principle to let Zimbabwe be a partner in the bridge project as it enters its lasts phase