Zimbabwe: health and care

What is life expectancy in Zimbabwe?

Life expectancy at birth in Zimbabwe was 60.4 years in 2023, according to the World Health Organization, up from 59.7 in 2022 and 57.8 in 2021.

Life expectancy at birth is the number of years a newborn would live if death rates at each age stayed as they were that year. WHO estimates it from death registration, censuses and surveys, and adjusts the figures so they can be compared across countries. WHO's figures for 2023 give 63.1 years for women and 57.4 for men.

Official sources: World Health Organization

How many children die before age five in Zimbabwe?

69 of every 1,000 children born in Zimbabwe died before their fifth birthday in the five years before the 2023–24 Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Survey, according to the survey report by ZIMSTAT. Infant mortality was 56 per 1,000 and neonatal mortality, in the first month of life, 37 per 1,000.

The report says neonatal mortality was the highest ever measured by the survey, and infant mortality rose from 50 per 1,000 in 2015, while under-five mortality has fallen from 102 in 1999. The World Health Organization estimates under-five mortality at 64.7 per 1,000 in 2024.

Official sources: survey report · World Health Organization

How many women die in childbirth in Zimbabwe?

Zimbabwe's maternal mortality ratio was 212 deaths per 100,000 live births in the seven years before the 2023–24 Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Survey, according to the survey report, with a confidence range of 126 to 297. The pregnancy-related mortality ratio fell from 651 in the 2015 survey to 228.

The World Health Organization estimates 358 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births in 2023, from a different, modelled method. The survey found that 92% of recent mothers had antenatal care from a skilled provider and 85% of births were delivered by one, but only 34% had care in the first three months of pregnancy.

Official sources: survey report · World Health Organization

How many children in Zimbabwe are stunted?

27% of children under five in Zimbabwe were stunted, or too short for their age, in 2023–24, according to the Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Survey. 2% were wasted, 8% underweight and 4% overweight.

Stunting reflects long-term poor nutrition and repeated illness. The survey found that only 13% of children aged 6 to 23 months had a minimum acceptable diet, and 58% of children aged 6 to 59 months were anaemic. Among adults aged 15 to 49, 42% of women and 20% of men were anaemic, and 51% of women aged 20 to 49 were overweight or obese.

Official sources: Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Survey

How many children in Zimbabwe are vaccinated?

72% of children aged 12 to 23 months in Zimbabwe had received all basic vaccines in 2023–24, according to the Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Survey, and 38% were fully vaccinated according to the national schedule. 7.5% had received no vaccine at all.

Basic vaccines are BCG, three doses of the DPT-containing vaccine, three doses of polio vaccine and the first measles vaccine; the national schedule adds others. The survey records vaccinations from health cards and mothers' reports. 94% of children in the age group had a child health card.

Official sources: Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Survey

How many children do women in Zimbabwe have?

Women in Zimbabwe have 3.9 children on average, according to the total fertility rate in the 2023–24 Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Survey, slightly down from 4.0 in 2015. Rural women have 4.6 children on average and urban women 3.1.

The total fertility rate is the number of children a woman would have if she followed the birth rates at each age measured in the three years before the survey. The median age at first birth for women aged 25 to 49 was 20.1 years, and 53% of married women used a modern method of contraception.

Official sources: 2023–24 Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Survey

How common is tuberculosis in Zimbabwe?

Zimbabwe had an estimated 203 new tuberculosis cases per 100,000 people in 2024, according to the World Health Organization, after 209 in both 2022 and 2023.

The incidence rate estimates all new and relapse cases each year, including people who were never diagnosed, so it is higher than the number of cases notified by health services. WHO builds the estimates from national case notifications, surveys and other data, and they come with an uncertainty range. The Demographic and Health Survey report notes that about 1.3 million people in Zimbabwe were living with HIV in 2023.

Official sources: World Health Organization

How much does Zimbabwe spend on health?

Zimbabwe's total health spending was 2.93% of GDP in 2023, according to the World Health Organization, and out-of-pocket payments by households made up 10.6% of it.

Few people have health insurance: the 2023–24 Demographic and Health Survey found that 92% of women and 93% of men aged 15 to 49 had none. WHO's universal health coverage index for Zimbabwe was 59 in 2023. WHO's health spending figures include money from donors and international partners as well as government and households.

Official sources: World Health Organization · out-of-pocket payments · 2023–24 Demographic and Health Survey · universal health coverage index

How many doctors does Zimbabwe have?

Zimbabwe had 1.86 medical doctors per 10,000 people in 2024, according to the World Health Organization, up from 1.72 in 2022. It had 14.65 nurses and midwives per 10,000 people in 2024, down from 24.96 in 2017.

The figures come from the national health workforce accounts that countries report to WHO, and count health workers in active practice. A density of about 2 doctors per 10,000 people means roughly one doctor for every 5,400 people.

Official sources: World Health Organization · nurses and midwives

What is life expectancy in Zimbabwe?

The latest figure from the UN Population Division, for 2024, is 63.1 years. It is the top of the series, which starts in 2005. Across Sub-Saharan Africa the middle value was 64.3 years, and Zimbabwe placed 32nd highest of 48. Of 193 countries with 2024 data, 176th highest.

What is the infant mortality rate in Zimbabwe?

The latest figure from the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation, for 2024, is 62.4 per 1,000. Since 2005 it has ranged from 54.2 per 1,000 (2017) to 69.8 per 1,000 (2008). Across Sub-Saharan Africa the middle value was 37.2 per 1,000, and Zimbabwe placed 6th highest of 48. Of 192 countries with 2024 data, 6th highest.

What is maternal mortality in Zimbabwe?

358 per 100,000: that is the maternal mortality ratio in Zimbabwe for 2023, according to the WHO. No year since 2005 has been lower. Across Sub-Saharan Africa the middle value was 257 per 100,000, and Zimbabwe placed 17th highest of 48. Worldwide: 18th of 192.

What share of GDP does Zimbabwe spend on health care?

According to the WHO, current health spending in Zimbabwe was 2.9% of GDP in 2023. Its high point since 2010 was 2010, at 10.5% of GDP; its low point was 2021, at 2.7% of GDP. Across Sub-Saharan Africa the middle value was 4.4% of GDP, and Zimbabwe placed 44th highest of 48. World rank, highest first: 177th of 191.

What is out-of-pocket health spending in Zimbabwe?

In 2023, out-of-pocket health spending in Zimbabwe was 10.6%, according to the WHO. Since 2010 it has ranged from 8.7% (2022) to 37.2% (2011). It is 42nd highest of 48 in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the median is 32.4%. Worldwide: 164th of 191.

What is the doctor to patient ratio in Zimbabwe?

According to the WHO, the number of doctors per 1,000 people in Zimbabwe was 0.14 per 1,000 in 2023. Since 2005 it has ranged from 0.05 per 1,000 (2007) to 0.20 per 1,000 (2018). Across Sub-Saharan Africa the middle value was 0.18 per 1,000, and Zimbabwe placed 11th highest of 16. Of 58 countries with 2023 data, 51st highest.

What is measles vaccine coverage in Zimbabwe?

90.0%: that is measles vaccination among children aged 12 to 23 months in Zimbabwe for 2024, according to WHO and UNICEF. Its high point since 2005 was 2012, at 97.0%; its low point was 2005, at 67.0%. It is 8th highest of 48 in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the median is 81.0%. Worldwide: 92nd of 191.