Migration trends in Zimbabwe
Africa
1.5M people from Zimbabwe have built lives abroad. That's 9.1% of the country population, spread across 39 different countries
16.6M
Population
308.7K
Immigrants
1.5M
Emigrants
−1.2M
Outflow
1 in every 12 people born in Zimbabwe now lives abroad
The #52 largest source of emigrants worldwide
Top corridors
The largest migration routes in Zimbabwe
Where people move to
Where people come from
Key moments
How migration has changed since 1990
1990
604.9K immigrants · 221.4K emigrants
1995
- Immigration contracted — the foreign-born population fell 35%
- The gap between arrivals and departures was cut in half
2005
- The country became a place of departure — more people leaving than arriving
- The diaspora abroad passed 500K people
2010
- An accelerating exodus — the diaspora abroad grew by 71%
- Surge of departures to South Africa — 291.6K people left
- The outflow deepened — net losses doubled to 644.7K
2015
- The diaspora abroad passed 1M people
Today
- Since 1990: 296.2K fewer foreign-born residents and 1.3M more citizens living abroad