Religious Freedom Page

Key Demographic Features of Zimbabwe*

Location: Southern Africa, northeast of Botswana
Map references: Africa

People

Population: 11,271,314 (July 1996 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 44% (male 2,513,606; female 2,481,478)
15-64 years: 53% (male 2,935,188; female 3,030,270)
65 years and over: 3% (male 152,244; female 158,528) (July 1996 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.41% (1996 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 72.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 41.85 years
male: 41.91 years
female: 41.78 years (1996 est.)
Ethnic divisions: African 98% (Shona 71%, Ndebele 16%, other 11%), white 1%, mixed and Asian 1%
Religions: syncretic (part Christian, part indigenous beliefs) 50%, Christian 25%, indigenous beliefs 24%, Muslim and other 1%
Languages: English (official), Shona, Sindebele (the language of the Ndebele, sometimes called Ndebele), numerous but minor tribal dialects
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write in English (1995 est.)
total population: 85%
male: 90%
female: 80%

Government

Country Abbreviation: ZI
Type of government: parliamentary democracy
Independence: 18 April 1980 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence Day, 18 April (1980)
Constitution: 21 December 1979
Legal system: mixture of Roman-Dutch and English common law
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Economy

Economic overview: Agriculture employs 70% of the labor force of this landlocked nation and supplies almost 40% of exports. Mining accounts for only 5% of both GDP and employment, but minerals and metals account for about 40% of exports. Severe drought caused GDP to drop 8% in 1992, with growth rebounding to 2% in 1993 and 4.5% in 1994, only to drop by 2.4% in 1995. The government is continuing to push its IMF/World Bank structural adjustment program aimed at encouraging exports and foreign investment. Officials face the difficult task of restraining expenditures in their effort to keep inflation within bounds.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $18.1 billion (1995 est.)
GDP real growth rate: -2.4% (1995)
GDP per capita: $1,620 (1995 est.)
Unemployment rate: at least 45% (1994 est.)

Communications

Telephones: 301,000 (1990 est.)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 8, FM 18, shortwave 0
Radios: 890,000 (1992 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 8 (1986 est.)
Televisions: 280,000 (1992 est.)

*Source: World Factbook 1996, U.S. Central Intelligence Agency

The World Factbook contains many additional demographic variables that may be of interest to persons who wish to examine a particular country in more depth. To access the World Factbook, Click Here. (This link will open a new window)