Mercer’s 2016 Cost of Living rankings benchmark how much a new resident in a city has to pay for products compared to New York using the US dollar as the base currency. For 2016, Harare ranks as the 157th costliest city up 11 places from 2015 when Mercer recognized Harare as the world’s 168th most expensive city for newly relocated citizens.
Zimbabwe exported an estimated US$2.8 billion worth of goods around the globe in 2016. Highest-value Zimbabwean exports include tobacco, gold, nickel, ferro-alloys, diamonds, sugar and platinum according to the International Trade Centre.
Capital Facts for Harare, Zimbabwe: Quick Reference
Geography
Capital landmarks: National Gallery of Zimbabwe, National Sports Stadium, Cathedral of St Mary and All Saints, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Harare and Al Abbas Mosque
Famous People
Below, you will find 10 of the most famous people born in Harare, Zimbabwe:
- Kirsty Coventry, gold medal Olympic swimmer (born Sep. 16, 1983)
- Ryan Cairns, professional golfer (born Feb. 14, 1984)
- Cara Black, professional tennis player (born Feb. 17, 1979)
- Sugaspott, rap artist (born Jun. 14, 1984)
- Brendan Galloway, soccer player/footballer (born Mar. 17, 1996)
- Brendan Taylor, cricket batsman (born Feb. 6, 1986)
- Thom Evans, rugby player (born Apr. 2, 1985)
- Chris Hoffman, actor (born Feb. 15, 1981)
- Tendai Mtawarira, rugby player (born Aug. 1, 1985)
- Oliver Mtukudzi, reggai singer (born Sep. 22, 1952)
Note: Data for our Famous People tab was sourced from Google searches mostly targeting published Wikipedia articles specific to each person’s name.
Population
Demonym for a Harare resident: Hararean
Population: 2,220,000 (Harare built-up urban area)
Density: 6,938 people per square mile (2,679 per square kilometer)
Population: 14,546,961 (Zimbabwe)
Density: 97 people per square mile (38 per square kilometer)
Financial
GDP: US$28.1 billion in 2015 (for Zimbabwe, per CIA World Factbook)
GDP per person: $1,932
Note: The above country-level GDP metrics are on a Purchasing Power Parity basis and are in U.S. dollars. Credible city GDP statistics for Harare were unavailable.
Official currency used in Harare: Zimbabwean dollar notes
Research
Research Sources:
Atlas & Boots, The World’s Most Expensive Cities for Expats 2016. Accessed on February 16, 2017
Brookings Institution, Global Metro Monitor Report (includes GDP data). Accessed on December 7, 2016
Central Intelligence Agency, World Factbook, Africa: Zimbabwe. Accessed on February 16, 2017
Central Intelligence Agency, World Factbook, Field Listing: Major Urban Areas. Accessed on December 7, 2016
CityMetric, Where are largest cities in the world? 2015 edition. Accessed on December 7, 2016
Demographia, World Urban Area, 12th Annual Edition. Accessed on December 7, 2016
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on February 16, 2017
Mercer, 2016 Cost of Living Rankings. Accessed on February 16, 2017
Official Government Website, City of Harare. Accessed on December 7, 2016
Wikimedia Commons, City Flags. Accessed on December 7, 2016
Note: Some city flags were unavailable. If so, attribution belongs to Wikimedia Commons for pertinent country flags.
Wikipedia, Harare. Accessed on December 7, 2016
Wikipedia, Harare Province. Accessed on December 7, 2016
Wikipedia, Zimbabwe. Accessed on February 16, 2017
Harare’s built-up area including nearby towns and villages encompasses 320 square miles (829 square kilometers). In 2015, there were an estimated 2.2 million people living in the city of Harare plus the surrounding built-up area.
At the country level, Zimbabwe’s land area covers 149,362 square miles (386,847 square kilometers). The national population count was 14.5 million inhabitants as of July 2016.
For Zimbabwe overall, population density drops to an average 97 inhabitants per square mile (38 per square kilometer).
On April 18, 1980 Zimbabwe separated from the United Kingdom. Zimbabweans celebrate Independence Day as a public holiday each April 18.
Population density is higher within the built-up area including the capital city Harare, combining for an average 6,900 residents per square mile (2,700 per square kilometer).