Rwanda vs Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe has 1.2× the population of Rwanda: 16,950,795 vs 14,569,341, a gap of 2.4 million. Rwanda is growing faster (+2.17% vs +1.88% a year), adding about 316,180 people a year against +319,413. Using continuous exponential growth from the stated base year, if these rates held, Rwanda would overtake Zimbabwe in about 53 years (from the 2025 population bases, around 2078) — a projection, not a forecast. Rwanda is 13.4× as densely populated (565.6 vs 42.2 people per km²). People in Rwanda live 5.0 years longer on average (68.0 vs 63.1). GDP per capita is 2.7× higher in Zimbabwe ($3,021 vs $1,124).
Country/territory population bases: World Bank 2025 (Rwanda) and 2025 (Zimbabwe); growth years 2025 / 2025. Annual source values, not live counts; years may differ. Growth is national, not local.
Rwanda vs Zimbabwe — side by side
 Rwanda |  Zimbabwe | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 14,569,3412025 | 16,950,7952025 |
| Growth rate / yr | +2.17%2025 | +1.88%2025 |
| Births per 1,000 | 28.12024 | 29.92024 |
| Deaths per 1,000 | 5.92024 | 7.52024 |
| Children per woman | 3.652024 | 3.672024 |
| Life expectancy | 68.0 yrs2024 | 63.1 yrs2024 |
| Aged 0–14 | 37.0%2025 | 40.3%2025 |
| Aged 65+ | 4.0%2025 | 3.6%2025 |
| Density | 565.6 /km²2023 | 42.2 /km²2023 |
| Area | 26,338 km²2023 | 390,760 km²2023 |
| Urban population | 30.9%2025 | 40.5%2025 |
| Net migration / yr | +6,2822025 | -54,5552025 |
| GDP per capita | $1,1242025 | $3,0212025 |
| Country population rank (available records) | #76 | #73 |
| Base / world population (World Bank 2025) | 0.18% | 0.21% |
Highlighted cell = the higher value (not "better"). Small print under each value is its own data year. Source: World Bank; country/territory population bases may have different years. These are not live counts.
Population since 1960
World Bank population history (not the separate UN WPP timeline). Rwanda: 4.8× from 1960 to 2025; Zimbabwe: 4.4× from 1960 to 2025. Left: absolute population. Right: each series indexed to its own first available year = 100; baseline years may differ.
More comparisons
Region: Sub-Saharan Africa · rankings
Rwanda: Rwanda vs Zimbabwe, Rwanda vs Guinea, Rwanda vs Benin, Rwanda vs Burundi, Rwanda vs Bolivia, Rwanda vs Tunisia.
Zimbabwe: Zimbabwe vs Ecuador, Zimbabwe vs Netherlands, Zimbabwe vs Cambodia, Zimbabwe vs Guinea, Zimbabwe vs Benin, Zimbabwe vs Rwanda.
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This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.