World median is the middle country on each statistic: half of all countries with data are above it, half below. It is not an average, so it is never pulled up or down by giants or microstates.
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The median country fits inside Zimbabwe 3.5 times.
Zimbabwe: 390,760 km² (2023) · World median: 111,370 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Zimbabwe: 0 km (2026 edition) · World median: 440 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Zimbabwe’s highest peak towers 257 m above the median country’s.
Zimbabwe: 2,592 m (2026 edition) · World median: 2,335 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Zimbabwe has 2.3 times as many people as the median country.
Zimbabwe: 17 million (2025) · World median: 7.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The median country is 2.2 times as densely populated as Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe: 44 per km² (2025) · World median: 98 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the median country are 2.8 cm taller than in Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe: 170.7 cm (2019) · World median: 173.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
The median country and Zimbabwe are practically level.
Zimbabwe: 159.9 cm (2019) · World median: 160.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the median country is 13 years older than in Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe: 17.8 years (2023) · World median: 31.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Zimbabwe have 1.8 more children on average than in the median country.
Zimbabwe: 3.67 children per woman (2024) · World median: 1.9 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
8.6% of people in the median country are 65 or older, versus 3.6% in Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe: 3.6% (2025) · World median: 8.6% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Zimbabwe has produced 0.6 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the median country 0.0.
Zimbabwe: 0.6 (2025) · World median: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Zimbabwe has 15 official languages, the median country 1.
Zimbabwe: 15 (2026) · World median: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Zimbabwe’s economy is 13% larger than the median country’s.
Zimbabwe: $51.2 billion (2025) · World median: $45.5 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The median country produces 3.3 times as much per person as Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe: Int$6,470 (2025) · World median: Int$21,072 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Zimbabwe than in the median country (Gini 15.9 points higher).
Zimbabwe: 50.3 (2019) · World median: 34.4 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 9.3% in Zimbabwe, versus 5.1% in the median country.
Zimbabwe: 9.3% (2025) · World median: 5.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The median country spends 1.7% of its GDP on the military, Zimbabwe 0.4%.
Zimbabwe: 0.4% (2024) · World median: 1.7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Zimbabwe’s price level (US = 100) is 1× the median country’s.
Zimbabwe: 47% (2025) · World median: 45% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The median country spends 7.5 times as much on health per person as Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe: $63 (2023) · World median: $470 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the median country live 12 years longer than in Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe: 63.1 years (2024) · World median: 74.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Zimbabwe is 4.9 times as likely to die before turning one as in the median country.
Zimbabwe: 62.4 per 1,000 (2024) · World median: 12.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The median country has 12 times as many doctors per person as Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe: 0.1 per 1,000 (2023) · World median: 1.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
24% of adults in the median country are obese, versus 13% in Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe: 13.1% (2024) · World median: 24% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
19% of adults in the median country smoke, versus 11% in Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe: 11% (2024) · World median: 19% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the median country rate their lives 2.49 points higher than in Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe: 3.35 (2025) · World median: 5.83 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Zimbabwe drink 25% more alcohol than in the median country.
Zimbabwe: 5.4 litres (2023) · World median: 4.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Zimbabwe has 2% more meat per person than the median country.
Zimbabwe: 57.6 kg (2023) · World median: 56.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The median country has 544 kcal more food per person per day than Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe: 2,393 kcal (2023) · World median: 2,938 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Zimbabwe put in 337 more hours a year than in the median country.
Zimbabwe: 2,311 hours (2023) · World median: 1,974 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the median country went to school 1 year longer than in Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe: 8.9 years (2023) · World median: 9.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Zimbabwe: no data · World median: 0.34 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
82% of people in the median country are online, versus 42% in Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe: 42% (2024) · World median: 82% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in the median country have electricity, versus 62% in Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe: 62% (2024) · World median: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
64% of people in the median country live in cities, versus 40% in Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe: 40% (2025) · World median: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The median country has 115 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Zimbabwe 94.
Zimbabwe: 94 (2024) · World median: 115 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Zimbabwe’s railway network is 46% longer than the median country’s.
Zimbabwe: 3,120 km (2020) · World median: 2,141 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the median country fly 44 times as many passengers per resident as those from Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe: 0.01 (2023) · World median: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 45% of Zimbabwe, but only 31% of the median country.
Zimbabwe: 44.7% (2023) · World median: 31.2% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the median country emits 3.6 times as much CO₂ as someone in Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe: 0.8 t (2024) · World median: 3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
57% of Zimbabwe’s electricity is renewable, versus 31% in the median country.
Zimbabwe: 57.1% (2024) · World median: 30.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Zimbabwe carries 21% more fine dust than in the median country.
Zimbabwe: 20.1 µg/m³ (2024) · World median: 16.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 3 times as likely to be murdered in Zimbabwe as in the median country.
Zimbabwe: 6.8 per 100k (2022) · World median: 2.3 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Zimbabwe are 2.4 times as deadly as in the median country.
Zimbabwe: 29.9 per 100k (2021) · World median: 12.3 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The median country is on average 1.0 °C warmer than Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe: 22°C (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 23°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The median country gets 35% more rain than Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe: 751 mm (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 1,014 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Zimbabwe bigger than the median country?
Zimbabwe is larger. The median country fits inside Zimbabwe 3.5 times.
Which has more people, Zimbabwe or the median country?
Zimbabwe has 2.3 times as many people as the median country (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Zimbabwe or the median country?
People in the median country live 12 years longer than in Zimbabwe. Life expectancy at birth is 63.1 years in Zimbabwe and 74.6 in the median country.
Are people taller in Zimbabwe or the median country?
Men in the median country are 2.8 cm taller than in Zimbabwe (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
