Children orphaned due to AIDS deaths in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe: Children orphaned due to AIDS deaths was 505,492 children in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
505,492 children
Change on year
down 8.6%
World rank
8th
of 139 countries
All-time high
1.28 million children
in 2006
All-time low
111,228 children
in 1990
Years of data
35
1990–2024

Children orphaned due to AIDS deaths in Zimbabwe, 1990–2024

0250.0k500.0k750.0k1.0M1.2M1990200720241990: 111.2k children1991: 164.8k children1992: 233.4k children1993: 317.4k children1994: 414.2k children1995: 518.2k children1996: 626.2k children1997: 735.8k children1998: 842.3k children1999: 940.9k children2000: 1.0M children2001: 1.1M children2002: 1.2M children2003: 1.2M children2004: 1.2M children2005: 1.3M children2006: 1.3M children2007: 1.3M children2008: 1.3M children2009: 1.3M children2010: 1.2M children2011: 1.2M children2012: 1.2M children2013: 1.1M children2014: 1.0M children2015: 991.5k children2016: 944.3k children2017: 896.9k children2018: 840.4k children2019: 782.3k children2020: 728.5k children2021: 667.8k children2022: 609.5k children2023: 553.2k children2024: 505.5k children

Source: Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in children.

Analysis

Zimbabwe recorded 505,492 children for children orphaned due to aids deaths in 2024.

The figure is down 8.6% on the previous year and down 51.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, children orphaned due to aids deaths in Zimbabwe peaked at 1.28 million children in 2006 and was at its lowest, 111,228 children, in 1990.

That places Zimbabwe 8th out of 139 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 490,453 children 111,228 children 940,944 children 10
2000s 1.21 million children 1.03 million children 1.28 million children 10
2010s 1.02 million children 782,343 children 1.23 million children 10
2020s 612,911 children 505,492 children 728,528 children 5

Countries ranked near Zimbabwe

  1. 5 South Africa 625,113 children compare
  2. 6 Kenya 571,316 children compare
  3. 7 Democratic Republic of Congo 511,169 children compare
  4. 9 Cameroon 412,664 children compare
  5. 10 Malawi 360,752 children compare
  6. 11 Zambia 351,372 children compare

See the full ranking of 139 places →

More reference data data for Zimbabwe

All data for Zimbabwe →

Frequently asked questions

What is children orphaned due to aids deaths in Zimbabwe?
Children orphaned due to aids deaths in Zimbabwe was 505,492 children in 2024, according to Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest children orphaned due to aids deaths recorded in Zimbabwe?
The highest recorded value was 1.28 million children in 2006.
What is the lowest children orphaned due to aids deaths recorded in Zimbabwe?
The lowest recorded value was 111,228 children in 1990.
How does Zimbabwe rank for children orphaned due to aids deaths?
Zimbabwe ranks 8th out of 139 countries with data for 2024.
Is children orphaned due to aids deaths rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
Over the last ten years it is down 51.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Zimbabwe data come from?
The figures come from Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Children orphaned due to AIDS deaths. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Children orphaned due to AIDS deaths
Unit
children
Source
Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
139 places, 4,809 data points, 1990–2024
Last refreshed

Number of children, aged 17 and under, who have been orphaned by the death of one or both parents from AIDS at any point in their lives. This is the central estimate.