Staff Writer
ZIMBABWE National Statistics Agency says 72 % of people leaving the country for greener pastures are youths who are at the peak of their productive years.
According to a report released Tuesday entitled “Poverty Income and Consumption and Expenditure Survey Report”, Zimbabwe continues to lose people in the youth bracket.
“The total number of people who migrated from the country is 683,673 persons and 72% being male and female migrants are in the 20 to 39 year age range,” the document says.
The survey says more females constituting 74.3 % have out migrated compared to 70.5 % for males in the 20-39 age range.
People who are 60 years and above constitute 1.1 % of those who migrated.
Out of the total out migrating 62 % males have migrated compared to 38 % for females.
Males have a higher percentage of migrants than females in all age groups except in the 10 – 14 year age range.
The statistics also point to the continued existence of brain drainage as 15% of the male migrants have completed primary education while 51 % of the male migrants have completed secondary education.
Moreover, about 11 % of the female out migrants have completed secondary education.
“A total of 351 990 migrants had completed Ordinary levels while 35 933 were holders of bachelor’s degree while 8 482 were Master’s Degree holders,” the survey observes.
About 64% of the female ever migrants have completed Master’s Degree.
Overall, it is observed that 26.6% of the adults 18 years and above in Zimbabwe depend on salaries and wages as their main source of income.
It is also noted that 67 % of people in rural areas depend on the sale of their agricultural produce for survival.
The United Nations Population Fund has since reported that Zimbabwe is likely to miss its opportunity to derive the demographic dividend (DD) from its youthful population.
DD – refers to the temporary economic benefits that can arise from a significant increase in that can arise from a significant increase in the ratio of working age adults as a result of rapid fertility decline.
The first demographic dividend opened before 1990 and reached a peak in 2013 and is now in the diminishing returns phase.
However, owing to a number of economic and political instabilities which have run for over two decades, youths in Zimbabwe are left with no choice except to leave the country.
the country’s population has almost doubled over the span of three decades, rising from 7, 5 million in 1982 to an estimated 16.5 million which if properly tapped into can boost the country’s economy
