Population, GDP, natural resources, leaders and history of Zimbabwe: the Magna Factbook country file, with its Magna grade (MCD, ranked #192 of 195).
Zimbabwe is a presidential republic in Southern Africa, between South Africa and Zambia. The country's capital is Harare; it covers 390,757 sq km. Independence: 18 April 1980 (from the UK). Terrain: mostly high plateau with higher central plateau (high veld); mountains in east. Climate: tropical; moderated by altitude; rainy season (November to March). Population: 17.5 million (2025 estimate). Population growth: +1.82% per year. Median age: 21.3 years. Life expectancy: 67.2 years (2024 est.). Languages: 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 (off…
| Capital | Harare |
|---|---|
| Population | 17,472,752 (2025 est.) |
| GDP (PPP) | $57.391 billion (2024 est.) |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $3,500 (2024 est.) |
| Real GDP growth | 2% (2024 est.) |
| Inflation | 104.7% |
| Unemployment | 8.6% |
| Public debt | 69.9% of GDP (2016 est.) |
| Exports | $7.603 billion (2023 est.) |
| Imports | $10.293 billion (2023 est.) |
| Life expectancy | 67.2 years (2024 est.) |
| Median age | 21.3 |
| Urbanization | 32.5% of total population (2023) |
| Government | presidential republic |
| Independence | 18 April 1980 (from the UK) |
| Languages | 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.) |
MCD · 30/100 — The Magna grade is our 0–100 composite of structural national power — five dimensions, 100+ indicators. It is the Bureau's own assessment, not a mirror of World Bank or CIA figures.
Momentum 0 — Quarterly momentum: the Bureau's read on the country's trajectory over the last quarter, from −10 (deteriorating fast) to +10 (accelerating).
Little moved in Jul–Sep 2026: no crisis, no windfall. The quarter simply confirmed the country's standing course.
Deeper forces — trade patterns, regional stability, institutional strength — will decide the trajectory; three months rarely do.
Coal, Chromium, Asbestos, Gold, Nickel, Copper, Iron ore, Vanadium, Lithium, Tin, Platinum.
Emmerson Mnangagwa — President. President Emmerson Dambudzo MNANGAGWA (since 4 September 2023)
Zimbabwe maintains 40 embassies and 6 consulates abroad, hosts 50 foreign diplomatic missions, holds permanent missions to UN New York, AU Addis Ababa. The breadth of a diplomatic network is a direct measure of diplomatic power — it shows how far a country’s influence, alliances and interests reach.
| Embassies abroad | 40 |
|---|---|
| Consulates abroad | 6 |
| Foreign missions hosted | 50 |
| Multilateral missions | UN New York, AU Addis Ababa |
Source: Consular Affairs Center, Diplomatic and Consular Networks Database and Rankings, January 2026 (Zenodo, CC BY 4.0). https://zenodo.org/records/18109976
Transport networks are economic power made physical — ports, runways, railways and pipelines decide what a country can move, sell and defend.
| Sea access | Landlocked — no seacoast; exports move through transit corridors across neighbouring countries. |
|---|---|
| Airports (total) | 144 + 5 heliports (registration prefix Z) |
| Railways | 3427 km |
| Pipelines | 270 km refined products (2013) |
Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International Airport (BUQ) — Bulawayo; Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport (HRE) — Harare; Victoria Falls International Airport (VFA) — Victoria Falls; Kariba Airport (KAB) — Kariba.
| River ports | Binga, Kariba (Zambezi) |
|---|
Sources: OurAirports public-domain extract (2026-10-02); per-entry Wikipedia links included; CIA World Factbook via cia_factbook snapshot (2026-09-28); theodora.com CIA mirror (CIA World Factbook Transportation section), scraped 2026-10-02
| Political system | presidential republic |
|---|---|
| Next election | No election currently scheduled. |
MCD · 30 Ranked #192 of 195 countries in the Magna Country Rankings. Full ranking breakdown for Zimbabwe.
