Zimbabwe Cities by Population 2026

Zimbabwe Overview

The largest city in Zimbabwe is Harare, with a population of 1,494,371 people.

The southern African country of Zimbabwe is known for its impressive landscapes and diverse wildlife, from the Victoria Falls to the numerous national parks that are home to, among others, rhinos, hippos and giraffes. Zimbabwe’s capital city of Harare serves as the country’s political, economic and cultural center, and has a population of more than 1.5M in the city and 2.8 million in the metropolitan area. The city produces textiles, steel and chemicals, and gold mining is also a key industry. Until 1982, the city was named Salisbury; it was renamed Harare on the second anniversary of Zimbabwe’s independence from British colonial rule.

Bulawayo is the second-largest city in Zimbabwe, with a population of 671.1K residents (although this number has been disputed by its city council). The city was historically regarded as the industrial center of Zimbabwe and was even nicknamed ‘Ntuthu ziyathunqa’, a phrase that means ‘smoke arising’, after the steam and smoke that came from an electricity plant in the city center. The city of Chitungwiza, situated around 30 kilometers south-east of Harare, is the third-largest city in Zimbabwe with 377.2K residents. Chitungwiza is a relatively new city, and was established in 1978 from three townships. A further two townships were added in the early 2000s to make up the current city.