Children orphaned due to AIDS deaths in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Children orphaned due to AIDS deaths was 505,492 children in 2024. ▲ Rising
Children orphaned due to AIDS deaths in Zimbabwe, 1990–2024
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.
Children orphaned due to AIDS deaths in Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | children | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 111,228 children | — |
| 1991 | 164,825 children | +48.2% |
| 1992 | 233,414 children | +41.6% |
| 1993 | 317,407 children | +36.0% |
| 1994 | 414,228 children | +30.5% |
| 1995 | 518,187 children | +25.1% |
| 1996 | 626,193 children | +20.8% |
| 1997 | 735,821 children | +17.5% |
| 1998 | 842,286 children | +14.5% |
| 1999 | 940,944 children | +11.7% |
| 2000 | 1.03 million children | +9.3% |
| 2001 | 1.10 million children | +7.1% |
| 2002 | 1.16 million children | +5.5% |
| 2003 | 1.21 million children | +4.2% |
| 2004 | 1.25 million children | +3.0% |
| 2005 | 1.27 million children | +1.6% |
| 2006 | 1.28 million children | +0.7% |
| 2007 | 1.27 million children | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 1.26 million children | -0.9% |
| 2009 | 1.25 million children | -0.9% |
| 2010 | 1.23 million children | -1.5% |
| 2011 | 1.20 million children | -2.8% |
| 2012 | 1.15 million children | -3.9% |
| 2013 | 1.10 million children | -4.5% |
| 2014 | 1.04 million children | -5.0% |
| 2015 | 991,460 children | -5.0% |
| 2016 | 944,267 children | -4.8% |
| 2017 | 896,898 children | -5.0% |
| 2018 | 840,390 children | -6.3% |
| 2019 | 782,343 children | -6.9% |
| 2020 | 728,528 children | -6.9% |
| 2021 | 667,836 children | -8.3% |
| 2022 | 609,531 children | -8.7% |
| 2023 | 553,170 children | -9.2% |
| 2024 | 505,492 children | -8.6% |
Zimbabwe compared with similar countries
- Zimbabwe's 505,492 children is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 38,246 children, 13.2× the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Zimbabwe's 505,492 children is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 83,352 children, 6.1× the median. (44 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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
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)
- 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)
- Civil liberties rating, per capita 0 units per person (2025)
- Consumer price index 11,077 2010 = 100 (2022)
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
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.