Rural population in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Rural population was 59.5% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Rural population in Zimbabwe, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
Zimbabwe recorded 59.5% for rural population in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.0% on the previous year and down 10.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Zimbabwe peaked at 87.5% in 1960 and was at its lowest, 59.5%, in 2025.
That places Zimbabwe 46th out of 217 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Rural population in Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 87.5% | — |
| 1961 | 87.2% | -0.3% |
| 1962 | 86.9% | -0.4% |
| 1963 | 86.5% | -0.4% |
| 1964 | 86.0% | -0.6% |
| 1965 | 85.5% | -0.7% |
| 1966 | 84.9% | -0.7% |
| 1967 | 84.2% | -0.7% |
| 1968 | 83.6% | -0.7% |
| 1969 | 83.1% | -0.7% |
| 1970 | 82.6% | -0.6% |
| 1971 | 82.1% | -0.6% |
| 1972 | 81.6% | -0.6% |
| 1973 | 81.1% | -0.6% |
| 1974 | 80.6% | -0.6% |
| 1975 | 80.2% | -0.6% |
| 1976 | 79.7% | -0.6% |
| 1977 | 79.2% | -0.6% |
| 1978 | 78.7% | -0.6% |
| 1979 | 78.2% | -0.7% |
| 1980 | 77.7% | -0.7% |
| 1981 | 77.1% | -0.7% |
| 1982 | 76.5% | -0.7% |
| 1983 | 75.9% | -0.8% |
| 1984 | 75.2% | -1.0% |
| 1985 | 74.4% | -1.1% |
| 1986 | 73.5% | -1.1% |
| 1987 | 72.7% | -1.2% |
| 1988 | 71.9% | -1.1% |
| 1989 | 71.1% | -1.1% |
| 1990 | 70.4% | -1.0% |
| 1991 | 69.8% | -0.8% |
| 1992 | 69.4% | -0.6% |
| 1993 | 69.1% | -0.4% |
| 1994 | 68.8% | -0.4% |
| 1995 | 68.6% | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 68.3% | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 68.1% | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 67.9% | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 67.7% | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 67.6% | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 67.5% | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 67.4% | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 67.4% | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 67.4% | -0.0% |
| 2005 | 67.4% | -0.0% |
| 2006 | 67.3% | -0.0% |
| 2007 | 67.3% | -0.0% |
| 2008 | 67.3% | -0.0% |
| 2009 | 67.3% | -0.0% |
| 2010 | 67.3% | -0.0% |
| 2011 | 67.2% | -0.0% |
| 2012 | 67.2% | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 67.1% | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 66.8% | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 66.4% | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 65.9% | -0.8% |
| 2017 | 65.3% | -0.9% |
| 2018 | 64.6% | -1.1% |
| 2019 | 63.8% | -1.2% |
| 2020 | 63.0% | -1.3% |
| 2021 | 62.1% | -1.4% |
| 2022 | 61.3% | -1.3% |
| 2023 | 60.7% | -1.0% |
| 2024 | 60.1% | -1.0% |
| 2025 | 59.5% | -1.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 85.6% | 83.1% | 87.5% | 10 |
| 1970s | 80.4% | 78.2% | 82.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 74.6% | 71.1% | 77.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 68.8% | 67.7% | 70.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 67.4% | 67.3% | 67.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 66.2% | 63.8% | 67.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 61.1% | 59.5% | 63.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
More agriculture & rural data for Zimbabwe
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 34.41 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0947 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 286.19 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.8815 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.595 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 9.5% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 9.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.9% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.3% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in Zimbabwe?
- Rural population in Zimbabwe was 59.5% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 87.5% in 1960.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 59.5% in 2025.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for rural population?
- Zimbabwe ranks 46th out of 217 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zimbabwe data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Rural population (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population.