Zimbabwe
Population 1
Language 2
| Shona (official) | 80.9% |
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| Ndebele (official) | 11.5% |
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| Ndau | 2.7% |
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| Tonga | 1.7% |
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| Shangani | 0.8% |
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| Venda | 0.5% |
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| Kalanga | 0.4% |
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| English (official) | 0.3% |
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| Other (including Chewa, Chibarwe, Koisan, Nambya, Sotho, Tswana, Xhosa) | 1.2% |
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| (2022 est.) |
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English is the primary language used in education, administration, law and commerce, and the majority of Zimbabweans speak English as a second language.3
Religion 2
| Christian | 85.3% |
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| Apostolic Sect | 40.3% |
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| Pentecostal | 17.0% |
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| Roman Catholic | 6.4% |
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| Other Christianity | 7.8% |
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| African Traditionalist | 5.0% |
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| Other (Islam, Judaism, and Hinduism) | 1.5% |
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| No Religion | 8.3% |
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| (2022 est.) |
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Ethnicity 2
| African | 99.6% |
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| Caucasian | 0.2% |
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| Asiatic | 0.04% |
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| Mixed Race | 0.1% |
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| Other | 0.1% |
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| (2022 est.) |
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Zimbabwe’s black African population is predominantly Shona (roughly 80%), with Ndebele forming the largest ethnic minority.2 There are also many minority African ethnic and indigenous groups, such as the Kalanga, Tonga, Shangaan (Tsonga), Venda, Tshwa San and Doma.
Zimbabweans in Australia 4
These demographic statistics pertain to individuals in Australia who were born in Zimbabwe, as reported in the 2021 Australian Housing and Population Census. The data specifically represents responses from first-generation migrants and does not encompass the total number of people in Australia who may identify as Zimbabwean.
Population
39,714
Citizenship
| Australian citizen | 75.4% |
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| Not an Australian citizen | 24.0% |
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44
Gender
Religion
| Christianity | 70.9% |
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| Catholic | 15.0% |
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| Anglican | 13.7% |
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| Pentecostal | 9.3% |
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| Other Christianity | 32.9% |
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| No Religion | 20.3% |
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| Not Stated | 2.2% |
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Ancestry
| English | 35.8% |
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| Zimbabwean | 32.2% |
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| Scottish | 10.1% |
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| Irish | 5.9% |
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These are the top ancestry responses of people born in Zimbabwe. Respondents were able to provide up to two answers. Therefore, the sum of all ancestry responses exceeds the total number of people.
Language Spoken at Home
| English | 61.7% |
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| Shona | 29.0% |
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| Ndebele | 3.7% |
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| Afrikaans | 1.3% |
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| Other | 4.2% |
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Of those who speak a language other than English at home, 98.4% speak English fluently.
Diaspora
| Western Australia | 32.1% |
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| Queensland | 25.4% |
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| New South Wales | 18.6% |
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| Victoria | 15.2% |
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| Other | 8.7% |
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Year of Arrival
| Prior to 1991 | 17.4% |
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| 1991 - 2000 | 8.5% |
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| 2001 - 2010 | 45.9% |
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| 2011 - 2015 | 14.2% |
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| 2016 - 2021 | 12.9% |
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Australians with Zimbabwean Ancestry
22,549
This figure represents the total number of people in Australia who reported Shona ancestry in the 2021 Census, including individuals born in Australia, Zimbabwe, and other countries. It captures the responses of first-, second-, and third-generation migrants who may identify as Zimbabwean, regardless of their place of birth.5
