Sub-Saharan Africa

A life that begins in Zimbabwe

One in every 265 babies in the world is born here: about 506,676 a year, 0.96 a minute.

Population: 16,950,795
Births a year: 506,676
Life expectancy: 62.9
Children who die before 5 (per 1,000): 64.7

Health and survival

Life expectancy, women (years)
65.3
World: 75.9
Life expectancy, men (years)
60.5
World: 71
Babies who die before 1 (per 1,000)
62.4
World: 27.8
Children who die before 5 (per 1,000)
64.7
World: 37.6
Mothers who die in childbirth (per 100,000 births)
358
World: 189
Adults living with HIV (%)
9.8
World: 0.7
Adults who smoke (%)
11
World: 20
Alcohol per adult (litres a year)
2.7
World: 4.6
Road deaths (per 100,000)
41.2
World: 17
Homicides (per 100,000)
6.8
World: 4.7

Family and school

Children per woman
3.67
World: 2.85
Women married before 18 (%)
34
World: 18
Children in primary school (%)
94
World: 89
Secondary school enrolment (%)
52
World: 81
Higher education enrolment (%)
8
World: 48
Children aged 7–14 who work (%)
14.3
World: 11.9

Money and work

Income per person (PPP)
$5,529
World: $21,797
Income inequality (Gini, 0–100)
50
World: 34
Living on under $3 a day (%)
49.2
World: 9.9
Unemployment (%)
9.3
World: 5.1
Jobs in farming (%)
54
World: 27
Women in the workforce (%)
62
World: 48
Health costs paid out of pocket (%)
11
World: 37

Home and connection

Living in cities (%)
41
World: 58
Access to electricity (%)
62
World: 92
Safe drinking water (%)
67
World: 91
Internet users (%)
42
World: 72

Peace and wellbeing

Life satisfaction (0–10)
3.35
World: 5.4
Deaths in armed conflict (per 100,000 a year)
0
World: 2.43
Refugees abroad (% of population)
0.04
World: 0.34

From 1960 to 2050

How life here has changed, and where UN projections expect it to go. The dashed part is a projection.

Life expectancy

1960: 53.5 → 2026: 63.3 → 2050: 68.9

World

Children who die before 5 (per 1,000)

1960: 154 → 2026: 62 → 2050: 62

World

Children per woman

1960: 7.2 → 2026: 3.5 → 2050: 2.7

World

Living in cities (%)

1960: 12 → 2026: 41 → 2050: 56

World

Nobody chooses where they are born

In the game, the country is drawn by the real share of births: Zimbabwe comes up about once in every 265 lives.

Other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa

All 178 countries →

Sources: World Bank (WDI), UN World Population Prospects, Our World in Data, World Happiness Report, UCDP and PRIO. Updated 2026-10-18.