Zimbabwe’s prison population remains overwhelmingly male, with young adults accounting for the largest share of new admissions, even as the number of prisoners entering the country’s prisons declined in the second quarter of 2026, latest Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZimStat) data shows.
Women accounted for just 3.6% of the 25 990 prisoners held in Zimbabwe during the quarter, compared with 96.4% men.
The overall prison population increased by 1 918 prisoners between the first and second quarters, rising from 24 072 to 25 990.
Male prisoners increased from 23 250 in the first quarter to 25 057 in the second, while the number of female prisoners rose from 822 to 933.
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The increase in the prison population came despite a decline in new admissions during the quarter.
ZimStat recorded 16 146 new prisoners between April and June, down from 17 391 during the first quarter.
At the same time, 14 133 prisoners were discharged, including 12 984 men and 1 149 women.
Of the 25 990 prisoners in custody at the end of the second quarter, 22 008, or 84.7%, had been sentenced, while 3 982, representing 15.3%, were unsentenced.
The data also shows younger adults accounted for the largest share of new admissions, with people aged between 25 and 29 constituting the biggest age group, followed by those aged 20 to 24.
A total of 3 913 new prisoners were aged between 25 and 29, while 3 273 were aged between 20 and 24. This was followed by 2 713 prisoners aged 30 to 34, 2 164 aged 35 to 39 and 1 415 aged 40 to 44.
Admissions declined progressively among older age groups, with significantly fewer prisoners aged 50 and above.
The geographical distribution of new prisoners, based on their province of usual residence, shows that Harare accounted for the largest share at 21.8%.
Manicaland followed with 14.5%, Midlands with 12.4% and Mashonaland West with 9.8%.
Masvingo accounted for 8.3% of new prisoners, followed by Mashonaland East at 7.7%, Mashonaland Central at 7.6%, Bulawayo at 6.3%, Matabeleland South at 5.2% and Matabeleland North at 4.7%.
A further 1.7% of new prisoners were recorded as usually residing outside Zimbabwe.
Harare also recorded the highest proportion of female new prisoners, accounting for 34.2% of female admissions.
Manicaland followed with 13.1%, while Midlands accounted for 11.8%.
The data further shows the 16 146 prisoners admitted during the second quarter were associated with 18 719 offences, comprising 17 353 offences committed by men and 1 366 by women.
Assault was the most common offence, accounting for 23.2% of all offences recorded among new admissions.
Theft was the second most common at 19.2%, followed by burglary at 7.6%, unlawful acts involving controlled drugs or precursors at 5.9% and robbery without a firearm at 5.5%.
Among female prisoners, assault was also the most common offence, accounting for 23.8% of offences. Theft followed at 21.7%, while unlawful acts involving alcohol, tobacco or other controlled substances accounted for 10.2%.
The second-quarter figures therefore show a prison population that remains overwhelmingly male, while young adults continue to make up the largest share of new admissions.
The data also highlights significant geographical differences, with Harare accounting for more than one-fifth of new prisoners based on their usual province of residence, while the overall number of admissions declined compared with the previous quarter.
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