Zimbabwe

presidential republic

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"

chief of state: President Emmerson Dambudzo MNANGAGWA (since 4 September 2023) head of government: Vice President Constantino CHIWENGA (since 11 September 2023) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by president, responsible to National Assembly election/appointment process: each presidential candidate nominated with a nomination paper signed by at least 10 registered voters (at least 1 candidate from each province) and directly elected by absolute-majority popular vote in 2 rounds, if needed, for a 5-year term (no term limits); co-vice presidents drawn from party leadership most recent election date: 23 August 2023 election results: 2023: Emmerson MNANGAGWA reelected president in first round; percent of vote - Emmerson MNANGAGWA (ZANU-PF) 52.6%, Nelson CHAMISA (MDC-T) 44%, Wilbert MUBAIWA (NPC) 1.2%, other 2.2% 2018: Emmerson MNANGAGWA elected president in first round; percent of vote - Emmerson MNANGAGWA (ZANU-PF) 50.7%, Nelson CHAMISA (MDC-T) 44.4%, Thokozani KHUPE (MDC-N) 0.9%, other 4% expected date of next election: 2028

legislature name: Parliament legislative structure: bicameral

highest court(s): Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice and 4 judges); Constitutional Court (consists of the chief and deputy chief justices and 9 judges) judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges appointed by the president on recommendation of the Judicial Service Commission, an independent body consisting of the chief justice, Public Service Commission chairman, attorney general, and 2-3 members appointed by the president; judges normally serve until age 65 but can elect to serve until age 70; Constitutional Court judge appointment NA; judges serve nonrenewable 15-year terms subordinate courts: High Court; Labor Court; Administrative Court; regional magistrate courts; customary law courts; special courts

history: previous 1965 (at Rhodesian independence), 1979 (Lancaster House Agreement), 1980 (at Zimbabwean independence); latest final draft completed January 2013, approved by referendum 16 March 2013, approved by Parliament 9 May 2013, effective 22 May 2013 amendment process: proposed by the Senate or by the National Assembly; passage requires two-thirds majority vote by the membership of both houses of Parliament and assent of the president of the republic; amendments to constitutional chapters on fundamental human rights and freedoms and on agricultural lands also require approval by a majority of votes cast in a referendum

ACP, AfDB, ATMIS, AU, COMESA, FAO, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PCA, SADC, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNISFA, UNMIL, UNMISS, UNOCI, UNSOM, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

0.4% of GDP (2024 est.) 0.3% of GDP (2023 est.) 0.9% of GDP (2022 est.) 1.4% of GDP (2021 est.) 1% of GDP (2020 est.)

Zimbabwe Defense Forces (ZDF): Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA), Air Force of Zimbabwe (AFZ) Ministry of Home Affairs: Zimbabwe Republic Police (2025)

18-22 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women (enlisted personnel); 18-24 for officer cadets; 18-30 for technical/specialist personnel; no conscription (2025)

the primary responsibilities of the Zimbabwe Defense Forces (ZDF) are protecting the country s sovereignty and territory and securing its borders; it also has a role in domestic security and socio-economic development projects and has continued to be active in the country s politics since the 2017 military-assisted political transition; the ZDF is part of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Standby Force and provided troops for the SADC military deployment to Mozambique from 2021-2024; Zimbabwe has defense ties with China and Russia the ZDF was formed after independence from the former Rhodesian Army and the two guerrilla forces that opposed it during the Rhodesian Civil War (aka "Bush War") of the 1970s, the Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA) and the Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA); the ZDF intervened in the Mozambique Civil War (1983-1992), the Democratic Republic of Congo during the Second Congo War (1998-2003), and the Angolan Civil War (1975-2002) during the late 1990s (2025)

$57.391 billion (2024 est.) $56.249 billion (2023 est.) $53.399 billion (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

$3,500 (2024 est.) $3,400 (2023 est.) $3,300 (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

2% (2024 est.) 5.3% (2023 est.) 6.1% (2022 est.) note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

104.7% (2022 est.) 98.5% (2021 est.) 557.2% (2020 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices

69.9% of GDP (2016 est.)

$7.603 billion (2023 est.) $7.453 billion (2022 est.) $6.575 billion (2021 est.) note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars

$10.293 billion (2023 est.) $9.569 billion (2022 est.) $8.104 billion (2021 est.) note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars

8.6% (2024 est.) 8.8% (2023 est.) 10.1% (2022 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment

revenues: $17 million (2018 est.) expenditures: $23 million (2018 est.)

mining (coal, gold, platinum, copper, nickel, tin, diamonds, clay, numerous metallic and nonmetallic ores), steel, wood products, cement, chemicals, fertilizer, clothing and footwear, foodstuffs, beverages

sugarcane, beef, maize, cabbages, potatoes, tomatoes, milk, onions, bananas, wheat (2023) note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

total: 17,472,752 (2025 est.) male: 8,503,108 female: 8,969,644

1.82% (2025 est.)

0-14 years: 38.3% (male 3,315,075/female 3,254,643) 15-64 years: 57.8% (male 4,758,120/female 5,152,773) 65 years and over: 3.9% (2024 est.) (male 270,595/female 399,146)

28.18 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

6.4 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

-3.58 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

total population: 67.2 years (2024 est.) male: 65.6 years female: 68.8 years

urban population: 32.5% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 2.41% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

African 99.6% (predominantly Shona; Ndebele is the second largest ethnic group), other (includes Caucasian, Asiatic, mixed race) 0.4% (2022 est.)

Shona (official, most widely spoken) 80.9%, Ndebele (official, second most widely spoken) 11.5%, English (official, traditionally used for official business) 0.3%, 13 minority languages (official; includes Chewa, Chibarwe, Kalanga, Koisan, Nambya, Ndau, Shangani, sign language, Sotho, Tonga, Tswana, Venda, and Xhosa) 7%, other 0.3% (2022 est.) note: data represent population by mother tongue

Apostolic Sect 40.3%, Pentecostal 17%, Protestant 13.8%, other Christian 7.8%, Roman Catholic 6.4%, African traditionalist 5%, other 1.5% (includes Muslim, Jewish, Hindu), none 8.3% (2022 est.)

total population: 93.2% (2019 est.) male: 93.1% (2019 est.) female: 93.4% (2019 est.)

coal, chromium ore, asbestos, gold, nickel, copper, iron ore, vanadium, lithium, tin, platinum group metals

tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List the government did not demonstrate overall increasing efforts to eliminate trafficking compared with the previous reporting period, therefore Zimbabwe remained on Tier 2 Watch List for the second consecutive year; for more details, go to: https://www.state.gov/reports/2025-trafficking-in-persons-report/zimbabwe/

refugees: 22,432 (2024 est.) IDPs: 32,675 (2024 est.)

144 (2025)

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

total subscriptions: 15.7 million (2024 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 94 (2024 est.)

percent of population: 38% (2023 est.)