Zimbabwe: crime and justice

How much crime is there in Zimbabwe?

Police in Zimbabwe recorded 428,634 offences in the first quarter of 2026, 0.4% more than in the previous quarter, according to ZIMSTAT's first quarter 2026 crime report. The crime rate was 2,649.8 per 100,000 people.

Offences against public order and state security made up 288,279 cases. Among other crimes, the police recorded 35,109 thefts, 27,181 assaults and threats, 12,601 burglaries, 9,091 drug offences and 3,856 cases of sexual violence. Harare had the highest rate, 6,549.2 per 100,000. The figures come from Zimbabwe Republic Police records, so they leave out crimes that are not reported.

Official sources: first quarter 2026 crime report

How many murders are there in Zimbabwe?

Police in Zimbabwe recorded 306 intentional homicides in the first quarter of 2026, a rate of 1.9 per 100,000 people for the quarter, according to ZIMSTAT's first quarter 2026 crime report. There were also 320 attempted homicides and 444 non-intentional homicides.

ZIMSTAT classifies offences using the United Nations International Classification of Crime for Statistical Purposes, with guidance from UNODC. The quarterly rate is not an annual rate. On an annual basis, the World Bank gives 6.76 intentional homicides per 100,000 people in 2022, from UNODC data.

Official sources: first quarter 2026 crime report · World Bank

How many people are in prison in Zimbabwe?

27,382 people were in prison in Zimbabwe at the end of 2025, up from 25,916 three months earlier, according to ZIMSTAT's fourth quarter 2025 prison statistics report. The imprisonment rate was 172 per 100,000 people.

96.2% of prisoners were men. 79.5% had been sentenced and 20.5% were awaiting trial or sentence. The prison population rose through 2025, from 23,654 at the end of the first quarter. The count is the number of prisoners who slept in prison the night before the reporting date, 26 December 2025, as recorded by the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service.

Official sources: fourth quarter 2025 prison statistics report

How many murders are there in Zimbabwe?

In 2022, the intentional homicide rate in Zimbabwe was 6.8 per 100,000, according to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime. Since 2005 it has ranged from 4.9 per 100,000 (2018) to 10.8 per 100,000 (2005). Sub-Saharan Africa median: 6.8 per 100,000; Zimbabwe is 5th highest of 8. World rank, highest first: 33rd of 99.

How many women are killed in Zimbabwe?

The UN Office on Drugs and Crime puts the homicide rate for women in Zimbabwe at 2.4 per 100,000 in 2022. It is 4th highest of 6 in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the median is 2.5 per 100,000. Worldwide: 30th of 94.

How many men are killed in Zimbabwe?

According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, the homicide rate for men in Zimbabwe was 11.6 per 100,000 in 2022. It is 3rd highest of 6 in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the median is 9.4 per 100,000. Of 93 countries with 2022 data, 27th highest.