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"

Malta

name: Valletta

geographic coordinates: 35 53 N, 14 30 E

time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

etymology: named in honor of Jean de VALETTE, the Grand Master of the Order of Saint John (crusader knights), who successfully led a defense of the island from an Ottoman invasion in 1565

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

Malta

citizenship by birth: no

citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Malta

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

Malta

mixed legal system of English common law and civil law based on the Roman and Napoleonic civil codes; subject to European Union law

Suffrage

Simbabwe

18 years of age; universal

Malta

18 years of age (16 in local council elections); universal

Area

Simbabwe

total: 390,757 sq km

land: 386,847 sq km

water: 3,910 sq km

Malta

total: 316 sq km

land: 316 sq km

water: 0 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.)

Malta

agricultural land: 32.3% (2018 est.)

arable land: 28.4% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 3.9% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 0% (2018 est.)

forest: 0.9% (2018 est.)

other: 66.8% (2018 est.)

Location

Simbabwe

Southern Africa, between South Africa and Zambia

Malta

Southern Europe, islands in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Sicily (Italy)

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)

Malta

0-14 years: 14.53% (male 34,870/female 32,989)

15-64 years: 62.83% (male 151,927/female 141,561)

65 years and over: 22.65% (2023 est.) (male 48,830/female 56,961)

Birth rate

Simbabwe

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

Malta

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

Death rate

Simbabwe

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

Malta

8.6 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)

Malta

Maltese (official) 90.1%, English (official) 6%, multilingual 3%, other 0.9% (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

Simbabwe

total population: 66.8 years (2023 est.)

male: 65.2 years

female: 68.5 years

Malta

total population: 83.4 years (2023 est.)

male: 81.3 years

female: 85.6 years

Major urban areas - population

Simbabwe

1.578 million HARARE (capital) (2023)

Malta

213,000 VALLETTA (capital) (2018)

Median age

Simbabwe

total: 21 years (2023 est.)

male: 20.2 years

female: 21.8 years

Malta

total: 43.2 years (2023 est.)

male: 42.1 years

female: 44.4 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

Malta

29.3 years (2020 est.)

note: data refers to the average of the different childbearing ages of first-order births

Net migration rate

Simbabwe

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

Malta

5 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

Malta

most of the population lives on the eastern half of Malta, the largest of the three inhabited islands

Population growth rate

Simbabwe

1.99% (2023 est.)

Malta

0.59% (2023 est.)

Total fertility rate

Simbabwe

3.51 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Malta

1.51 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.)

Malta

urban population: 94.9% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization: 0.28% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Education expenditures

Simbabwe

3.9% of GDP (2018 est.)

Malta

5.9% of GDP (2020 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

Simbabwe

total: 11 years

male: 12 years

female: 11 years (2013)

Malta

total: 17 years

male: 17 years

female: 18 years (2020)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

Simbabwe

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

Malta

3.9% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Industrial production growth rate

Simbabwe

6.37% (2021 est.)

Malta

-3.3% (2016 est.)

Labor force

Simbabwe

7.916 million (2021 est.)

Malta

280,300 (2021 est.)

Population below poverty line

Simbabwe

38.3% (2019 est.)

Malta

17.1% (2018 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

Malta

3.5% (2021 est.)

4.26% (2020 est.)

3.62% (2019 est.)

Public debt

Simbabwe

82.3% of GDP (2017 est.)

69.9% of GDP (2016 est.)

Malta

50.7% of GDP (2017 est.)

56.3% of GDP (2016 est.)

note: Malta reports public debt at nominal value outstanding at the end of the year, according to guidelines set out in the Maastricht Treaty for general government gross debt; the data include the following categories of government liabilities (as defined in ESA95): currency and deposits (AF.2), securities other than shares excluding financial derivatives (AF.3, excluding AF.34), and loans (AF.4); general government comprises the central, state, and local governments, and social security funds

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Simbabwe

98.55% (2021 est.)

557.2% (2020 est.)

255.3% (2019 est.)

Malta

1.5% (2021 est.)

0.64% (2020 est.)

1.64% (2019 est.)

Exports

Simbabwe

$5.263 billion (2020 est.)

$5.267 billion (2019 est.)

$5.178 billion (2018 est.)

Malta

$22.11 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$19.526 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$20.773 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Exports - partners

Simbabwe

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

Malta

Germany 12%, France 9%, Italy 9% (2019)

Imports

Simbabwe

$5.489 billion (2020 est.)

$5.398 billion (2019 est.)

$7.642 billion (2018 est.)

Malta

$21.362 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$18.328 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$18.578 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Imports - partners

Simbabwe

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

Malta

Russia 22%, Italy 12%, United Kingdom 11%, Germany 6%, Turkey 5%, France 5%, China 5%, South Korea 5% (2019)

Airports

Simbabwe

196 (2021)

Malta

1 (2021)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

Simbabwe

total: 203,461 (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 1 (2020 est.)

Malta

total: 213,419 (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 48 (2020 est.)

Internet users

Simbabwe

total: 5.6 million (2021 est.)

percent of population: 35% (2021 est.)

Malta

total: 461,100 (2021 est.)

percent of population: 87% (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)

Malta

total: 3,096 km (2008)

paved: 2,704 km (2008)

unpaved: 392 km (2008)

urban: 1,422 km (2001)

non-urban: 832 km (2001)

Telephones - fixed lines

Simbabwe

total subscriptions: 243,421 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 2 (2021 est.)

Malta

total subscriptions: 259,439 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 49 (2021 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

Simbabwe

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

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 89 (2021 est.)

Malta

total subscriptions: 644,955 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 122 (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

Malta

none identified