Zimbabwe’s Youth Stand at the Heart of “Lives, Choices and Futures”

In a world unsettled by economic uncertainty, climate shocks and conflict, young people in Zimbabwe are refusing to give up on the future. Instead, they are demanding the tools, the space and the sit that the table to shape it.

That spirit – hopeful yet clear-eyed about the challenges ahead – was at the center of the recently marked Zimbabwe’s 2026 World Population Day commemorations and the launch of the Demographic Futures Report 2026, held under the global theme: “Lives, Choices and Futures”. This year’s focus, guided by new UNFPA data and powerful national voices, made one message unmistakable that Zimbabwe’s greatest resource is its young people.

A Young Nation at a Demographic Turning Point

“Zimbabwe is blessed to have one of the youngest populations in Africa,” said Honourable Tonoda Machakaire, Minister of Youth Empowerment, Development and Vocational Training. “With more than 60% of our citizens below the age of 35, we possess a tremendous national advantage. Our youthful population is not a challenge to be managed. It is our greatest national asset to be developed.”

That demographic reality is both an opportunity and a responsibility. Whether it becomes a “demographic dividend” or a missed chance depends on choices made today – by government, communities, development partners, and by young people themselves.

The newly launched Demographic Futures Survey 2026, presented by UNFPA Representative Ms. Miranda Tabifor, offers rare, youth-centered insight into those choices. Conducted in 73 countries and territories, the survey captured the views of 108,926 young adults aged 18–39, including in Zimbabwe, on their life goals, relationships and aspirations for parenthood.

According to the global findings:

• 66.6% of young people are optimistic about the future, despite anxiety about jobs, inequality and instability.
• Economic security is their top life goal – 71.1% rate it as “extremely” or “very” important.
• Marriage remains a valued ideal – 68% see it as their preferred relationship milestone.
• Around 80% want children, driven primarily by the emotional joy of parenthood, not by demographic targets.

“Young people are growing up amid profound social, economic and technological transformations,” Ms. Tabifor noted. “Rising housing costs, precarious labour markets, widening inequalities and climate concerns are reshaping what is possible – and what feels out of reach. Our responsibility is to listen to what young people say they need to realize their aspirations and then act.”

Lives: Every Young Life Matters

The first pillar of this year’s theme – Lives – speaks to the intrinsic value of every young person.

“Every life is valuable,” Minister Machakaire stressed. “Every young person deserves access to quality education, healthcare, skills development, and opportunities that enable them to reach their full potential. A healthy and educated population is the foundation of a prosperous nation.”

Zimbabwe’s government, he said, is expanding vocational training centers, strengthening youth empowerment programmes, and intensifying the fight against drug and substance abuse. “Drug abuse destroys dreams, tears families apart, and robs our nation of its greatest resource – its young people,” the Minister warned, vowing that the response would go beyond policing to include prevention, rehabilitation, mental health support and community-based interventions.

He was equally candid about the need to safeguard young people’s sexual and reproductive health and rights. Reflecting on a widely shared social media case involving a minor and HIV, he promised zero tolerance for the exploitation of children and adolescents. “We cannot allow that to happen – infecting a minor who has the future to lead this country. Every young life matters.”

The priority on health and dignity is reflected in recent policy moves, including the National Framework to Prevent and Manage Adolescent Pregnancies and revised national clinical guidelines. “Every young girl deserves the opportunity to complete her education. Every young boy deserves opportunities that allow him to contribute positively to society. Every young person deserves health,” he emphasized.

Choices: When Opportunity Unlocks Freedom

The second pillar – Choices – recognizes that freedom is only meaningful when it is backed by real opportunities.

“Meaningful choices can only exist where opportunity exists,” said Minister Machakaire. “Young people cannot fully exercise their freedoms without education, employment and access to healthcare.”

That reality comes through clearly in the Demographic Futures Survey. Across countries:

• 81% of young people say financial security is essential before entering a stable partnership or marriage.
• Economic and housing constraints are the top barriers to partnership, rated “very important” by 28% of respondents.
• For parenthood, financial security is again the leading precondition, cited by 67.3%  – and by 88% when listed among “non‑negotiable” conditions, closely followed by stable employment at 87%.
• Economic and housing constraints are also the single largest active barrier to having children, rated “very important” by 38.7% of respondents.

“Young people are saying loudly: we value partnership and family, but the conditions must be right,” Ms. Tabifor explained. “Secure jobs, affordable housing, access to health and reproductive services, and emotional readiness are not luxuries – they are prerequisites.”

In Zimbabwe, the new National Youth Policy aims to tackle these constraints head-on. As Honourable Machakaire outlined, it offers a roadmap to unlock youth potential through:

• Economic empowerment and employment creation.
• Skills development and vocational training.
• Digital transformation and innovation.
• Health and well-being, including SRHR.
• Environmental sustainability.
• Meaningful youth participation in governance.

“It is fully aligned with Vision 2030 and the National Development Strategy 2, ensuring that no young Zimbabwean is left behind,” he said. “Our ambition is simple, but profound - we want young people to move from job seekers to job creators; from consumers of technology to innovators; from beneficiaries of development to leaders of development.”

Futures, From Demographic Dividend to Shared Prosperity

The final pillar – Futures – speaks to long-term investment and intergenerational responsibility.

“The future of Zimbabwe will be determined by the investments we make today,” Honourable Machakaire observed. “Every classroom we build, every innovation hub we establish, every vocational training center we modernize, and every young entrepreneur we support is an investment in our national future.”

Here again, the data provides a roadmap. The Zimbabwe Demographic Survey 2023/24 shows that ideal family size remains relatively high compared to other regions, rising from 3.1 children among women aged 15–19 to 4.3 among women aged 35–39. At the same time, economic pressures and housing constraints are already delaying partnerships and parenthood.

Globally, the Demographic Futures Survey notes a widening “partnership gap”. Among 25–39-year-olds who want a partner, 25% are single and not dating, with unpartnered rates higher among young men (30%) than women (19%). Where aspirations and realities diverge, frustration and disillusionment can grow – unless policy and investment keep pace.

“Good policy must be informed by credible data,” Honourable Machakaire said, calling the 2026 Demographic Futures Report “a call to action” for government, development partners, academia, the private sector and communities. “When we understand our population, we make better decisions about education, health, employment, housing, infrastructure and economic development.”

“A Youthful Population Is Not a Burden”

For His Excellency Tinashe Mugodhi, the Child President of Zimbabwe, this moment is also a test of generational courage. “A youthful population is not a burden to be managed. It is a strategic advantage to be cultivated,” he said. “If we invest wisely in education, health, innovation and leadership, today’s young people will become tomorrow’s architects of prosperity.”

Addressing leaders and peers alike, he issued a blunt challenge: “Allow me to challenge each and everyone in this room to work towards youth empowerment unapologetically. We must refuse to become a generation that normalizes apathy simply because ‘hasha dzadoka’ [the anger has subsided]. Leadership is not an ornament of authority. Leadership is responsibility. Leadership is accountability.”

His words echoed the survey’s core message. Young people are neither passive beneficiaries nor a problem to be solved. They are already leading change “in ways both large and small,” as UN Resident Coordinator Ms. Rosemary Kalapurakal put it in her remarks.

“Your aspirations, your voice, your leadership matter,” she told youth in attendance. “You are not waiting for the future. You are already shaping it. The question is not whether Zimbabwe’s young people are ready. The question is whether the systems around you are ready to support your ambitions.”

A Call from the United Nations – and from Youth Themselves

Noting that Zimbabwe stands at a defining demographic moment,” Ms. Kalapurakal said, “With its dynamic youth population, it holds one of its greatest assets for achieving inclusive growth, innovation, and sustainable development. But this demographic dividend is never automatic. It depends on whether youth have access to quality education, market-relevant skills, decent jobs, health services, and meaningful opportunities to participate in society.”

Quoting the UN Secretary-General’s message for World Population Day, she reminded participants that all young people deserve “the freedom, opportunity and support to shape their own lives, and contribute meaningfully to their communities,” including the right to make informed choices about their bodies, lives and futures.

“Our approach is simple,” she said. “Expand choices, strengthen opportunities, protect rights, amplify youth voices. If we invest in young people today, we invest in a more prosperous, more inclusive and more resilient Zimbabwe tomorrow. Please count on the United Nations to stand with the government and people of Zimbabwe in making that vision a reality.”

Measuring a Nation by Its Youth

As the event closed, Minister Machakaire posed a challenge that may well define Zimbabwe’s demographic era.

“The true measure of a nation is not how many people it has,” he said, “but how many young people it empowers. If we invest wisely in our youth today, history will remember this generation as the one that transformed Zimbabwe’s demographic advantage into sustained national prosperity.”

On this World Population Day, guided by evidence from the Demographic Futures Survey and the voices of its own youth, Zimbabwe has signaled its answer. The task now is to turn data into decisions, policies into practice, and the promise of “Lives, Choices and Futures” into tangible progress for every young Zimbabwean.