Zimbabwe's net migration was -54,555 in 2025, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is up 66.37% from -162,220 in 2015.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | -54,555 | 2025 |
| Five years earlier | -89,440 | 2020 |
| Ten years earlier | -162,220 | 2015 |
| Highest | 390,593 | 1980 |
| Lowest | -243,947 | 1993 |
| Average since 2016 | -96,864 | 2016–2025 |
| First recorded | -8,260 | 1960 |
What the numbers say
In 2025, Zimbabwe's net migration rose 5,973 on 2024 (from -60,528 to -54,555).
Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +3,807 and a typical year strayed about 43,393 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.0 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.
On record, the biggest yearly rise was 458,530 in 1980 and the biggest yearly fall was 379,070 in 1981. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2016 to 2025 the straight-line trend is upward, about 8,256 a year. A straight line explains 80% of the movement over 10 observed years.
Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.
A straight-line projection, tested first
Extending that straight line gives about -24,817 for 2028. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2023 to 2025 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was 14,396, against 32,007 for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.
See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.
How it compares
In 2025, Zimbabwe had the 196th highest value of the 217 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Zimbabwe | -54,555 | 2025 |
| World | 0 | 2025 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | -223,909 | 2025 |
| Lower middle income | -3.12 million | 2025 |
Closest to Zimbabwe in the 2025 ranking
- Myanmar — 193rd of 217: -39,661
- Mali — 194th of 217: -48,019
- Viet Nam — 195th of 217: -48,171
- Morocco — 197th of 217: -56,254
- Egypt, Arab Rep. — 198th of 217: -57,305
- Mozambique — 199th of 217: -65,573
What this measures
Net migration is the net total of migrants during the period, that is, the number of immigrants minus the number of emigrants, including both citizens and noncitizens.
Limitations: International migration is the component of population change most difficult to measure and estimate reliably. Thus, the quality and quantity of the data used in the estimation and projection of net migration varies considerably by country. Furthermore, the movement of people across international boundaries, which is very often a response to changing socio-economic, political and environmental forces, is subject to a great deal of volatility. Refugee movements, for instance, may involve large numbers of people moving across boundaries in a short time.
Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a sum.
All 66 values
| Year | Net migration |
|---|---|
| 2025 | -54,555 |
| 2024 | -60,528 |
| 2023 | -97,380 |
| 2022 | -102,828 |
| 2021 | -74,623 |
| 2020 | -89,440 |
| 2019 | -103,107 |
| 2018 | -117,758 |
| 2017 | -128,241 |
| 2016 | -140,181 |
| 2015 |
Net migration in nearby economies
- Angola — -3,524 (2025)
- Benin — -7,847 (2025)
- Botswana — -5,665 (2025)
- Burkina Faso — -27,130 (2025)
- Burundi — -34,727 (2025)
- Cabo Verde — -1,284 (2025)
- Cameroon — -15,379 (2025)
- Central African Republic — -14,693 (2025)
- Chad — -123,104 (2025)
- Comoros — -2,127 (2025)
- Congo, Dem. Rep. — -27,309 (2025)
- Congo, Rep. — -2,999 (2025)
- Côte d'Ivoire
More social protection & labor data for Zimbabwe
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of origin — 6,632 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asylum — 8,570 (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 43.06% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 53.32% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 48.17% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate) — 62.93% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Zimbabwe's net migration?
- -54,555 in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1960?
- It is down 560.47% from -8,260 in 1960. The highest value was 390,593 in 1980 and the lowest -243,947 in 1993.
- How does Zimbabwe rank?
- 196th highest of 217 economies with data for 2025.
- Is the latest change in net migration unusual for Zimbabwe?
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SM.POP.NETM, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.
Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.
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