Zimbabwe: housing

How many Zimbabweans own their home?

58.5% of Zimbabwean households, 2,235,182 in all, owned the home they lived in at the 2022 census, according to ZIMSTAT's 2022 Population and Housing Census report. Lodgers, who rent rooms in someone else's house, were the next largest group, with 734,585 households or 19.2%.

Ownership was 76.8% in rural areas but 32.8% in urban areas, where 42.7% of households were lodgers. 82.9% of dwellings were modern buildings, 15.5% traditional and 1.1% shacks. The census counted 15,178,957 people. Tenure refers to how the household occupies the home, not who owns the land.

Official sources: 2022 Population and Housing Census report

How many homes in Zimbabwe have electricity?

33.7% of Zimbabwean households used grid electricity at the 2022 census and 28.3% used off-grid electricity, such as solar, while 38% had none, according to ZIMSTAT's 2022 census report. In Bulawayo, 88.7% of households used the grid.

The 2023–24 Demographic and Health Survey found that 67% of urban households and 8% of rural ones had electricity, and only 10% of people relied mainly on clean fuels for cooking, heating and lighting. The World Bank puts access to electricity, including off-grid sources, at 62% of the population in 2024.

Official sources: 2022 census report · 2023–24 Demographic and Health Survey · World Bank

How many people in Zimbabwe have safe water and sanitation?

25.5% of people in Zimbabwe used safely managed drinking water in 2024, according to World Bank data from the WHO and UNICEF monitoring programme, and 23.6% used safely managed sanitation.

Safely managed water must come from an improved source on the premises, be available when needed and be free from contamination. Safely managed sanitation means a private improved toilet whose waste is safely disposed of or treated. Both shares have changed little since 2019, when they were 26.4% and 24.1%. ZIMSTAT's census also records households' main sources of drinking water.

Official sources: World Bank data · safely managed sanitation

What share of Zimbabwe is urban?

The latest figure from the UN Population Division, for 2025, is 40.5%. No year since 2005 has been higher. Across Sub-Saharan Africa the middle value was 44.9%, and Zimbabwe placed 28th highest of 48. Worldwide: 149th of 193.

How many people in Zimbabwe live in slums?

In 2022, the share of city dwellers living in slums in Zimbabwe was 54.9%, according to UN-Habitat. No year since 2006 has been higher. It is 21st highest of 48 in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the median is 48.7%. World rank, highest first: 25th of 170.

How many people in Zimbabwe have electricity?

According to the World Bank, the share of people with access to electricity in Zimbabwe was 62.0% in 2024. It is the top of the series, which starts in 2005. Across Sub-Saharan Africa the middle value was 57.8%, and Zimbabwe placed 20th highest of 48. Of 193 countries with 2024 data, 162nd highest.

What is access to safe water in Zimbabwe?

WHO and UNICEF puts the share of people using safely managed drinking water in Zimbabwe at 25.5% in 2024. No year since 2005 has been lower. Sub-Saharan Africa median: 27.2%; Zimbabwe is 14th highest of 25. Worldwide: 118th of 134.

What is access to sanitation in Zimbabwe?

23.6%: that is the share of people using safely managed sanitation in Zimbabwe for 2024, according to WHO and UNICEF. It is the bottom of the series, which starts in 2005. Across Sub-Saharan Africa the middle value was 23.6%, and Zimbabwe placed 15th highest of 29. World rank, highest first: 114th of 134.

What is access to clean cooking in Zimbabwe?

The latest figure from the WHO, for 2024, is 37.0%. No year since 2005 has been higher. It is 17th highest of 48 in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the median is 13.0%. Worldwide: 149th of 192.