By Newsdesk
The population of Zimbabwe as at 20th April 2022 was 15,178,979, of which 7,289,558 (48%) were male and 7,889,421 (52%) were female, giving a sex ratio of 92 males for every 100 females.
Given the 2012 population size of 13,061,329, this gives an annual population growth rate of 1.5 percent.
The population constituted 3,818,992 households, giving an average of 4 persons per household. Given a land area of 390,757 square kilometres, the resultant population density stood at 39 persons per square kilometre.
Distribution of Population by Province The distribution of the population by province for the year 2022 indicates that Harare Province constituted 16 percent of the total population, followed by Manicaland and Mashonaland West Provinces with 13.4 and 12.5 percent respectively
The distribution of the population by province for year 2022 indicates that Harare Province had 2,427,209 persons. Manicaland and Mashonaland West Provinces had 2,037,762 and 1,893,578 persons respectively. In all provinces, the female population was higher than the male population
The sex ratios by province. The ratios ranged from 86 males per 100 females in Bulawayo Province to 98 males per 100 females in Mashonaland West Province
Distribution of Households by Province The distribution of households shows that Harare Province had 653,562 households followed by Manicaland and Mashonaland West Provinces with 502,945 and 466,843 respectively. Masvingo Province had the highest average household size of 4.17 followed by Matabeleland North Province with 4.15
Figure 1.4: Number of Households and Average Household Size by Province The distribution of households shows that Harare Province had 17.1 percent of the households. Manicaland Province had 13.2 percent and Mashonaland West Province had 12.2 percent.
The national annual population growth rate between 2012 and 2022 was 1.5 percent. Mashonaland East and West Provinces had annual population growth rates of 2.9 and 2.6 percent respectively
6 Population Density by Province The number of persons per square kilometre in Harare Province was 2,783. Bulawayo Province had 1,390 persons per square kilometre and Manicaland Province had 56 persons per square kilometre
Population Distribution by Rural and Urban Areas The majority of the population in the country was in rural areas (61.4%).
This report presents preliminary population figures for the 2022 Population and Housing Census (PHC) which was held from 21st to 30th April 2022.
The census was the first such undertaking by Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZIMSTAT) using the Computer Assisted Personal Interview (CAPI) method. This migration from Paper Assisted Personal Interview (PAPI) to CAPI, saw ZIMSTAT, for the first time, producing preliminary results of a census within three months of data collection.
The census was conducted using the de facto approach. This entailed enumeration of individuals in households where they spent the census night, that is the night of 20th April 2022, regardless of their usual places of residence. Preparations of the census began in 2019, being guided by the United Nations Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses, Revision 3.
The advent of COVID-19 in 2020 interrupted the mapping exercise and supply chains which were critical components of the preparatory phase of the census.
ZIMSTAT lost ten months of preparatory work as we complied with COVID-19 lockdown restrictions. However, through availing of more resources by Government and exceptional commitment by Team ZIMSTAT, the 21st April 2022 timeline was met comfortably.
The results presented in this report are on population size and structure by province, district and ward. Information is also provided on annual population growth rates and population density.
This publication is the first in a series of subsequent reports on the remaining modules of the 2022 Population and Housing Census. I would like to express my profound gratitude to the Government of Zimbabwe, Development Partners, all stakeholders, the media, technical staff and respondents who made this census a success.
Taguma Mahonde Director-General
Harare, July 2022
