According to the 2023–24 Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Survey (ZDHS), 18,500 newborns die each year before they reach 28 days. This equals a neonatal mortality rate of 37 deaths per 1,000 live births.
When stillbirths and deaths in the first week are included, the total rises to 24,500 infant losses annually.
In a recent address to Parliament, Deputy Health Minister Sleiman Kwidini revealed that 299 newborns died between January and February 2025. Harare recorded the highest number with 111 deaths, followed by Bulawayo (50) and Mashonaland West (33).
The ZDHS shows that while 92% of pregnant women receive some antenatal care from skilled providers, up from 87% in 2010, major gaps remain.
Only 34% attend their first antenatal visit in the first trimester, and just 9% complete all eight recommended visits. Even among those who get care, many miss key services.
A third of pregnant women receive no nutrition counselling, and one in four is not taught how to breastfeed.
Access to care also varies widely. In Matabeleland North, 98% of women get skilled antenatal care. In Manicaland, the number drops to 78%.
Among women from apostolic sects like Johane Marange, only 2% access skilled care, compared to 97% in wealthier households.
Health facilities also face serious shortages. A 2024 Ministry of Health report found that 40% of centres lack neonatal resuscitation equipment, and a quarter have no incubators.
In some referral hospitals, one nurse cares for up to 50 newborns—three times the safe limit recommended by the World Health Organisation.
UNFPA Zimbabwe Country Representative Miranda Tabifor says the crisis goes beyond statistics. She said:
These numbers are not just statistics. They are mothers who should be celebrating life, not mourning it.
More: Health Times
Back to top