2022 PHC Youth Thematic Report

(Download Youth Thematic report (PDF))

Data from the 2022 PHC reveals that the population aged 10-35 years constitutes slightly less than half of the entire Zimbabwean population, 46 percent. The distribution of the youth population by sex reveals a bias towards females( 52%) against males( 48%). 

Distribution of youth population by province

The distribution of the youth population by province reveals that there are more youth in Harare (17%); comprising 18 percent females and 17 percent males (Figure 2). Manicaland and Mashonaland West provinces have each about 13 percent of the youth. The least proportion of youth were reported in Bulawayo, Matabeleland North and Matabeleland South provinces, about 5% each. 

Distribution of youth by age

Slightly more than half of the youth (51%) are under 20. However, 72 percent of the youth are in the working age group (15-35).  Slightly above one quarter of the youth, 28 percent, are aged 10-14. Adolescents (15-19) constitute 22 percent of the youth population while those aged 20-24 comprise about 18 percent. Youth aged 25-29 and 30-34 constituted 15 and 14 percent of the youth population, respectively. The least proportion of youth, 3 percent, were aged 35. 

Disability

Data reveals that a very small proportion of youth (1%) is living with disability. There is insignificant variation by province as only Manicaland and Midlands have 0.2 percent each while the rest of the province have 0.1 percent