Birth rate vs. death rate in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Birth rate vs. death rate was 30.41 births per 1,000 people in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
30.41 births per 1,000 people
Change on year
down 1.5%
World rank
32nd
of 236 countries
All-time high
50.29 births per 1,000 people
in 1950
All-time low
30.41 births per 1,000 people
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Birth rate vs. death rate in Zimbabwe, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in births per 1,000 people.
Analysis
Zimbabwe recorded 30.41 births per 1,000 people for birth rate vs. death rate in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
The figure is down 1.5% on the previous year and down 17.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, birth rate vs. death rate in Zimbabwe peaked at 50.29 births per 1,000 people in 1950 and was at its lowest, 30.41 births per 1,000 people, in 2023.
That places Zimbabwe 32nd out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Birth rate vs. death rate in Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | births per 1,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 50.29 births per 1,000 people | — |
| 1951 | 49.95 births per 1,000 people | -0.7% |
| 1952 | 49.55 births per 1,000 people | -0.8% |
| 1953 | 49.2 births per 1,000 people | -0.7% |
| 1954 | 48.85 births per 1,000 people | -0.7% |
| 1955 | 48.52 births per 1,000 people | -0.7% |
| 1956 | 48.31 births per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 1957 | 48.1 births per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 1958 | 47.88 births per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 1959 | 47.65 births per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 1960 | 47.49 births per 1,000 people | -0.3% |
| 1961 | 47.29 births per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 1962 | 47.09 births per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 1963 | 46.82 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1964 | 46.56 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1965 | 46.38 births per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 1966 | 46.06 births per 1,000 people | -0.7% |
| 1967 | 45.82 births per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 1968 | 45.67 births per 1,000 people | -0.3% |
| 1969 | 45.52 births per 1,000 people | -0.3% |
| 1970 | 45.54 births per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 45.61 births per 1,000 people | +0.2% |
| 1972 | 45.99 births per 1,000 people | +0.8% |
| 1973 | 46.38 births per 1,000 people | +0.8% |
| 1974 | 46.4 births per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 46.62 births per 1,000 people | +0.5% |
| 1976 | 46.52 births per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 1977 | 46.51 births per 1,000 people | -0.0% |
| 1978 | 46.77 births per 1,000 people | +0.6% |
| 1979 | 46.3 births per 1,000 people | -1.0% |
| 1980 | 44.84 births per 1,000 people | -3.2% |
| 1981 | 46.31 births per 1,000 people | +3.3% |
| 1982 | 45.72 births per 1,000 people | -1.3% |
| 1983 | 44.99 births per 1,000 people | -1.6% |
| 1984 | 43.72 births per 1,000 people | -2.8% |
| 1985 | 42.34 births per 1,000 people | -3.2% |
| 1986 | 40.94 births per 1,000 people | -3.3% |
| 1987 | 39.5 births per 1,000 people | -3.5% |
| 1988 | 37.65 births per 1,000 people | -4.7% |
| 1989 | 36.39 births per 1,000 people | -3.4% |
| 1990 | 35.51 births per 1,000 people | -2.4% |
| 1991 | 34.91 births per 1,000 people | -1.7% |
| 1992 | 34.27 births per 1,000 people | -1.8% |
| 1993 | 32.38 births per 1,000 people | -5.5% |
| 1994 | 32.02 births per 1,000 people | -1.1% |
| 1995 | 31.66 births per 1,000 people | -1.1% |
| 1996 | 32.41 births per 1,000 people | +2.3% |
| 1997 | 33.37 births per 1,000 people | +3.0% |
| 1998 | 34.47 births per 1,000 people | +3.3% |
| 1999 | 35.62 births per 1,000 people | +3.3% |
| 2000 | 36.13 births per 1,000 people | +1.4% |
| 2001 | 36.46 births per 1,000 people | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 36.54 births per 1,000 people | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 36.61 births per 1,000 people | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 36.33 births per 1,000 people | -0.8% |
| 2005 | 35.8 births per 1,000 people | -1.4% |
| 2006 | 35.2 births per 1,000 people | -1.7% |
| 2007 | 35.65 births per 1,000 people | +1.3% |
| 2008 | 36.36 births per 1,000 people | +2.0% |
| 2009 | 37.52 births per 1,000 people | +3.2% |
| 2010 | 37.87 births per 1,000 people | +0.9% |
| 2011 | 38.14 births per 1,000 people | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 37.8 births per 1,000 people | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 36.98 births per 1,000 people | -2.2% |
| 2014 | 35.41 births per 1,000 people | -4.2% |
| 2015 | 33.92 births per 1,000 people | -4.2% |
| 2016 | 32.7 births per 1,000 people | -3.6% |
| 2017 | 31.81 births per 1,000 people | -2.7% |
| 2018 | 31.33 births per 1,000 people | -1.5% |
| 2019 | 31.12 births per 1,000 people | -0.7% |
| 2020 | 30.99 births per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 2021 | 30.93 births per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 30.88 births per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 2023 | 30.41 births per 1,000 people | -1.5% |
Zimbabwe compared with similar countries
- Zimbabwe's 30.41 births per 1,000 people is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 25.89 births per 1,000 people, 1.2× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Zimbabwe's 30.41 births per 1,000 people is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 31.17 births per 1,000 people, 98% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 48.83 births per 1,000 people | 47.65 births per 1,000 people | 50.29 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1960s | 46.47 births per 1,000 people | 45.52 births per 1,000 people | 47.49 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 46.27 births per 1,000 people | 45.54 births per 1,000 people | 46.77 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 42.24 births per 1,000 people | 36.39 births per 1,000 people | 46.31 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 33.66 births per 1,000 people | 31.66 births per 1,000 people | 35.62 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 36.26 births per 1,000 people | 35.2 births per 1,000 people | 37.52 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 34.71 births per 1,000 people | 31.12 births per 1,000 people | 38.14 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 30.8 births per 1,000 people | 30.41 births per 1,000 people | 30.99 births per 1,000 people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
- 29 Congo 30.63 births per 1,000 people compare
- 30 Sierra Leone 30.6 births per 1,000 people compare
- 31 Gambia 30.43 births per 1,000 people compare
- 33 Guinea-Bissau 30.04 births per 1,000 people compare
- 34 Equatorial Guinea 29.6 births per 1,000 people compare
- 35 Senegal 29.42 births per 1,000 people compare
More health data for Zimbabwe
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.39 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 1.11 % change on previous year (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 4,457 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 0.9632 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0689 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.9673 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0701 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is birth rate vs. death rate in Zimbabwe?
- Birth rate vs. death rate in Zimbabwe was 30.41 births per 1,000 people in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest birth rate vs. death rate recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 50.29 births per 1,000 people in 1950.
- What is the lowest birth rate vs. death rate recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 30.41 births per 1,000 people in 2023.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for birth rate vs. death rate?
- Zimbabwe ranks 32nd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is birth rate vs. death rate rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zimbabwe data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Birth rate vs. death rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of live births in a year per 1,000 people in the population.