Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe: Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents was 12.1% in 2020. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2020)
12.1%
World rank
107th
of 180 countries
All-time high
14.7%
in 2000
All-time low
0.0%
in 1950
Years of data
15
1950–2020

Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Zimbabwe, 1950–2020

0510151950198520201950: 0 %1955: 0 %1960: 0 %1965: 0 %1970: 0 %1975: 0 %1980: 0 %1985: 0 %1990: 12.3 %1995: 14.1 %2000: 14.7 %2005: 14.7 %2010: 14.7 %2015: 14.1 %2020: 12.1 %

Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

Zimbabwe recorded 12.1% for share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in 2020.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 17.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Zimbabwe peaked at 14.7% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1950.

That places Zimbabwe 107th out of 180 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2
1960s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2
1970s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2
1980s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2
1990s 13.2% 12.3% 14.1% 2
2000s 14.7% 14.7% 14.7% 2
2010s 14.4% 14.1% 14.7% 2
2020s 12.1% 12.1% 12.1% 1

Countries ranked near Zimbabwe

  1. 104 Myanmar 13.1% compare
  2. 105 Germany 13.0% compare
  3. 106 Madagascar 12.2% compare
  4. 108 Belgium 12.0% compare
  5. 109 Tanzania 11.2% compare
  6. 110 Czechia 11.2% compare

See the full ranking of 180 places →

More reference data data for Zimbabwe

All data for Zimbabwe →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Zimbabwe?
Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Zimbabwe was 12.1% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents recorded in Zimbabwe?
The highest recorded value was 14.7% in 2000.
What is the lowest share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents recorded in Zimbabwe?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1950.
How does Zimbabwe rank for share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents?
Zimbabwe ranks 107th out of 180 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
Over the last ten years it is down 17.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Zimbabwe data come from?
The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents
Unit
%
Source
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
180 places, 2,505 data points, 1950–2020
Last refreshed

Percentage of the total population living in cities with 1 million or more people. City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.