Zimbabwe: Fact file

Updated March 2010

Name Republic of Zimbabwe
Area 390 757 sq km
Capital Harare
Major cities Bulawayo, Chitungwiza, Mutare, Gweru, Kwekwe, Kadoma, Masvinga (Frame 2008, 1304)
Boundaries Zambia, Mozambique, South Africa, Botswana (landlocked)
Population 12.4 million, 2007 (UNDP 2009)
Natural pop growth 1.4%, 2005-15 (UNDP 2009)
Urbanisation 29%, 1990 (UNDP 2009)
Life expectancy Female 43.6 yrs, male 42.6 yrs, 2007 (UNDP 2009)
Infant mortality 58/1000, 2005-2010 est (UN Statistics Division 2010a)
HIV/AIDS prevalence 15-49 yrs: 15.6%; 2007 est (Zimbabwe National Monitoring and Evaluation Taskforce 2008, 4)
Adult literacy rate Female 88.3%, male 94.1%, 2007 (UNDP 2009)
Military expenditure 3.8% of GDP; 2005 (UN Statistics Division 2010b)
Health expenditure 8.1% of GDP; 2005 (UN Statistics Division 2010c)
Legal system Roman-Dutch, customary Law (Saki & Chiware 2007)
Independence 18 April 1980 (from UK)
GDP US$0.641 billion, 2007 est (IMF 2008)
GDP per capita US$299, 2008 (IMF 2009, 65)
GDP growth rate -14.1%, 2008 (IMF 2009, 62)
Main exports Gold, tobacco, iron alloys, platinum, cotton (Frame 2008, 1308)
Currency 1 Zimbabwe Dollar (Z$) = 100 Cents
Unemployment 94%, end 2008 est (Money Web 2009)
Inflation rate no data(IMF 2009, 66)
External debt ratio 42.9% of GDP, 2008 (IMF 2009, 84)
Roads 61 630 km rural; 19 000 km State roads, 7 500 tarred (SADC 2007, 284)
Rail 2 760 km (National railways of Zimbabwe Undated)
Airports 17 paved; 3 international (Harare, Bulawayo, Kariba) (Avigation Networks Undated)
Ethnic groups Shona 82%, Ndebele 14%, other 2%; Asian 1%; White 1% (Nations Encyclopedia 2007)
Languages Official: English; Major: Shona, Sindebele, Manyika, Kalanga; 15 others (Ethnologue.com undated)
Religion Christian 67.5% (Independent 40.3%, Protestant 15.0%, Roman Catholic 9.6%), African Traditional Religion 30.1%, Nonreligious 1.0%, others 1.3% (Religious Freedom 2001)

References

AVIGATION NETWORKS UNDATED "Airports in Zimbabwe", [www] http://worldaerodata.com/countries/Zimbabwe.php [opens new window] (accessed 19 Mar 2010).

ETHNOLOGUE.COM UNDATED "Languages of Zimbabwe" [www] http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=ZW [opens new window] (accessed 19 Mar 2010).

FRAME, I 2008 (ed) Africa South of the Sahara 2008, Routledge.

IMF 2008 World Economic Outlook Database, April 2008, [www] http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2008/01/weodata/index.aspx [opens new window] (accessed 19 Mar 2010).

IMF 2009 Regional Economic Outlook: Sub-Saharan Africa, October, [www] http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/reo/2009/AFR/eng/sreo1009.pdf, [PDF document, opens new window] (accessed 19 Mar 2010).

MONEY WEB 2009 "Zimbabwe unemployment soars to 94%", 29 January, [www] http://www.moneyweb.co.za/mw/view/mw/en/page87?oid=262730&sn=Detail [opens new window] (accessed 19 Mar 2010).

NATIONAL RAILWAYS OF ZIMBABWE UNDATED "Corporate Information", [www] http://www.nrz.co.zw/about/corporateinfor.html [opens new window] (accessed 19 Mar 2010).

NATIONS ENCYCLOPEDIA 2007 "Zimbabwe: Ethnic groups", http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Africa/Zimbabwe-ETHNIC-GROUPS.html [opens new window] (accessed 19 Mar 2010).

RELIGIOUS FREEDOM 2001 "Nation profile: Zimbabwe", [www] http://religiousfreedom.lib.virginia.edu/nationprofiles/Zimbabwe/rbodies.html [opens new window] (accessed 19 Mar 2010).

SADC 2007 "Zimbabwe" IN Country Profiles, [www] http://www.sadcreview.com/pdfs07/zimbabwe2007_08.pdf [PDF document, opens new window] (accessed 19 Mar 2010).

SAKI, O & CHIWARE, T 2007 "The Law in Zimbabwe" IN GlobaLex, Hauser School of Law Programme, [www] http://www.nyulawglobal.org/globalex/Zimbabwe.htm [opens new window] (accessed 19 Mar 2010).

UNDP 2009 "Zimbabwe", IN Human Development Report 2009, [www] http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/countries/data_sheets/cty_ds_ZWE.html [opens new window] (accessed 19 Mar 2010).

UN STATISTICS DIVISION 2010a "Infant mortality rate (per 1,000 births)" IN UNdata, [www] http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?q=MExico&d=PopDiv&f=variableID%3A77%3BcrID%3A484 [opens new window] (accessed 19 Mar 2010).

UN STATISTICS DIVISION 2010b "Military expenditure (% of GDP)" IN UNdata, [www] http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?q=GDP&d=WDI&f=Indicator_Code%3AMS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS [opens new window] (accessed 19 Mar 2010).

UN STATISTICS DIVISION 2010c "Total expenditure on health as percentage of gross domestic product" IN UNdata, [www] http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?q=Gross+domestic+product&d=WHO&f=inID%3AHSR20 [opens new window] (accessed 19 Mar 2010).

US DEPARTMENT OF STATE 2009 "Swaziland" IN International Religious Freedom Report 2009, [www] http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2009/127258.htm [opens new window] (accessed 19 Mar 2010).

ZIMBABWE NATIONAL MONITORING AND EVALUATION TASKFORCE 2008 "United Nations General Assembly (UNGASS) Report on HIV and AIDS Follow-Up To The Declaration Of Commitment On HIV/AIDS: Zimbabwe Country Report", [www] http://data.unaids.org/pub/Report/2008/zimbabwe_2008_country_progress_report_en.pdf [PDF document, opens new window] (accessed 19 Mar 2010).