The latest population census in Zimbabwe took place from 21 April to 30 April 2022. The previous one was held 10 years ago as is customary. This time around things was quite different i.e. a digital methodology. They used a Computer Assisted Personal Interview (CAPI) approach. Before, they used a Paper Assisted Personal Interview (PAPI) approach. This significantly increased ZIMSTAT’s data collection and processing efficiency. The preliminary results have come out within just 3 months after the census. There are many things to talk about but today I will just draw some key insights from the results.
Total Population
Males: 7 289 558 (48 percent)
Females: 7 889 421 (52 percent)
TOTAL: 15 178 979
Related Data Points
Population Density: 39 persons per square kilometre.
Given the 2012 population size of 13 061 329.
National Annual Population Growth Rate (2012 – 2022): 1.5 percent.
Population Distribution By Rural And Urban Areas
Rural – 61.4 percent
Urban – 38.6 percent
Population Distribution By Province And Sex
National Average Sex Ratio: 92
| Province | Females | Males | Sex Ratio |
| Harare | 1267666 | 1159543 | 86 |
| Manicaland | 1072230 | 965532 | 95 |
| Mash West | 958757 | 934821 | 94 |
| Midlands | 941244 | 870664 | 97 |
| Mash East | 895917 | 835264 | 87 |
| Masvingo | 875002 | 763537 | 93 |
| Mash Central | 703578 | 681313 | 93 |
| Mat North | 427438 | 400188 | 98 |
| Mat South | 389632 | 370713 | 90 |
| Bulawayo | 357957 | 307983 | 91 |
NB: Sex Ratio refers to the number of males per 100 females.
Population Distribution By Province
| Province | Population |
| Harare | 2 427 209 |
| Manicaland | 2 037 762 |
| Mash West | 1 893 578 |
| Midlands | 1 811 908 |
| Mash East | 1 731 181 |
| Masvingo | 1 638 539 |
| Mash Central | 1 384 891 |
| Mat North | 827 626 |
| Mat South | 760 345 |
| Bulawayo | 665 940 |
Population Distribution By Province
| Province | Percentage |
| Harare | 16 |
| Manicaland | 13.4 |
| Mash West | 12.5 |
| Midlands | 11.9 |
| Mash East | 11.4 |
| Masvingo | 10.8 |
| Mash Central | 9.1 |
| Mat North | 5.5 |
| Mat South | 5 |
| Bulawayo | 4.4 |
Number Of Households And Average Household Sizes By Province
National Average Household Size: 4.0
| Province | Number Of Households | Average Household Size |
| Harare | 653562 | 3.7 |
| Manicaland | 502945 | 4.1 |
| Mash West | 466873 | 4.1 |
| Midlands | 440250 | 4.1 |
| Mash East | 452677 | 3.8 |
| Masvingo | 393226 | 4.2 |
| Mash Central | 337987 | 4.1 |
| Mat North | 199427 | 4.2 |
| Mat South | 193328 | 3.9 |
| Bulawayo | 178717 | 3.7 |
Household Distribution By Province
| Province | Percentage |
| Harare | 17.1 |
| Manicaland | 13.2 |
| Mash West | 12.2 |
| Midlands | 11.5 |
| Mash East | 11.9 |
| Masvingo | 10.3 |
| Mash Central | 8.9 |
| Mat North | 5.2 |
| Mat South | 5.1 |
| Bulawayo | 4.7 |
Annual Population Growth Rates By Province (2012 – 2022)
Population
| Province | 2012 | 2022 |
| Harare | 2123132 | 2427209 |
| Manicaland | 1752698 | 2037762 |
| Mash West | 1501656 | 1893578 |
| Midlands | 1614941 | 1811908 |
| Mash East | 1344955 | 1731181 |
| Masvingo | 1485090 | 1638539 |
| Mash Central | 1152520 | 1384891 |
| Mat North | 749017 | 827626 |
| Mat South | 683893 | 760345 |
| Bulawayo | 653337 | 665940 |
Growth Rates
| Province | Percentage |
| Harare | +1.3 |
| Manicaland | +1.5 |
| Mash West | +2.3 |
| Midlands | +1.2 |
| Mash East | +2.5 |
| Masvingo | +1 |
| Mash Central | +1.8 |
| Mat North | +1 |
| Mat South | +1.1 |
| Bulawayo | +0.2 |
Population Density By Province
| Province | Persons Per Square Kilometre |
| Harare | 2783 |
| Manicaland | 56 |
| Mash West | 33 |
| Midlands | 37 |
| Mash East | 54 |
| Masvingo | 29 |
| Mash Central | 49 |
| Mat North | 11 |
| Mat South | 14 |
| Bulawayo | 1390 |
These are some of the key highlights from the 2022 population and housing census preliminary results. These preliminary results are the first of several subsequent reports to come. Looking forward to those reports because I understand there were more data points this time. Thus there is a marked increase in the granularity of the data collected this time around. There are more insights we can draw from this census than any study ever will.
The stuff I have shared with you can be used as bases for some interesting discussions. For example, it turns out Bulawayo has the lowest population (by province). I think that is something worth discussing, what are your thoughts? Then we have the population distribution by rural and urban areas. I have already seen several questioning the validity of that data. Some people think that delimitation in those regards needs to be revisited. There are those saying the data is valid and truly there are more people in the rural areas. Then there are those arguing that it is vice versa, kindly share your thoughts in the comments below. There is so much to talk about just by looking at the data.
