Annual number of people affected by all natural disasters in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Annual number of people affected by all natural disasters was 7.60 million people in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Annual number of people affected by all natural disasters in Zimbabwe, 1982–2024
Source: EM-DAT, CRED / UCLouvain (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
In 2024, annual number of people affected by all natural disasters in Zimbabwe stood at 7.60 million people. That is the highest value across all 29 years on record.
The figure is up 16,203.4% on the previous year and up 622.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual number of people affected by all natural disasters in Zimbabwe peaked at 7.60 million people in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0 people, in 1982.
Zimbabwe ranks 5th of 78 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Annual number of people affected by all natural disasters in Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | 0 people | — |
| 1983 | 0 people | — |
| 1984 | 0 people | — |
| 1991 | 792,050 people | — |
| 1992 | 1.05 million people | +32.7% |
| 1993 | 1.05 million people | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 1.05 million people | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 1.05 million people | +0.3% |
| 1998 | 55,000 people | -94.8% |
| 2001 | 1.77 million people | +3122.2% |
| 2002 | 2.11 million people | +19.3% |
| 2003 | 2.11 million people | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 840,460 people | -60.2% |
| 2008 | 840,460 people | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 419,080 people | -50.1% |
| 2010 | 304,672 people | -27.3% |
| 2011 | 453,900 people | +49.0% |
| 2012 | 453,900 people | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 1.51 million people | +232.0% |
| 2014 | 1.05 million people | -30.2% |
| 2015 | 1.05 million people | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 1.05 million people | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 2.09 million people | +98.4% |
| 2018 | 2.18 million people | +4.5% |
| 2019 | 2.18 million people | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 543,638 people | -75.1% |
| 2021 | 120,884 people | -77.8% |
| 2022 | 46,616 people | -61.4% |
| 2024 | 7.60 million people | +16203.4% |
Zimbabwe compared with similar countries
- Zimbabwe's 7.60 million people is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 933,054 people, 8.1× the median. (26 countries reporting)
- Zimbabwe's 7.60 million people is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.70 million people, 4.5× the median. (33 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Annual number of people affected by all natural disasters in Zimbabwe changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | +16203.4% | 46,616 people | 7.60 million people |
| 2001 | +3122.2% | 55,000 people | 1.77 million people |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0 people | 0 people | 0 people | 3 |
| 1990s | 842,502 people | 55,000 people | 1.05 million people | 6 |
| 2000s | 1.35 million people | 419,080 people | 2.11 million people | 6 |
| 2010s | 1.23 million people | 304,672 people | 2.18 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.08 million people | 46,616 people | 7.60 million people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
More reference data data for Zimbabwe
- Exchange rate, new LCU per USD extended backward, period average 58,959 (2026)
- Exchange rate, old LCU per USD extended forward, period average 58,959 (2026)
- Official exchange rate, LCU per USD, period average 58,959 (2026)
- Political opposition, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Elected parliament and government, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Global number of reported disasters by size, gaps filled 0 events (2024)
- Annual precipitation, annual growth rate 122.78 % change on previous year (2025)
- Free country, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Civil liberties rating, gaps filled 5 (2025)
- Civil liberties rating, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual number of people affected by all natural disasters in Zimbabwe?
- Annual number of people affected by all natural disasters in Zimbabwe was 7.60 million people in 2024, according to EM-DAT, CRED / UCLouvain (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual number of people affected by all natural disasters recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 7.60 million people in 2024.
- What is the lowest annual number of people affected by all natural disasters recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 people in 1982.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for annual number of people affected by all natural disasters?
- Zimbabwe ranks 5th out of 78 countries with data for 2024.
- Is annual number of people affected by all natural disasters rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is up 622.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Zimbabwe data come from?
- The figures come from EM-DAT, CRED / UCLouvain (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual number of people affected by all natural disasters. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 29 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total number of people affected by a natural disaster.