Norway vs Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe and Norway are almost exactly the same size.
NorwayZimbabweNorway moved onto Zimbabwe · Equal-area projection
Remote islands and overseas parts not drawn; the figures include them
0.99×
Norway is 0.99× the area of Zimbabwe. Put the other way, Zimbabwe is 1.01× the size of Norway.
 Norway |  Zimbabwe | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaAbout the same area | 385,207 km²#61 of 194 | 390,757 km²#60 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Landlocked |
| Land neighbours | 3 | 4 |
| People | ||
| PopulationZimbabwe: 3.02× the population | 5,610,870#118 of 194 · 2025 | 16,950,795#74 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityZimbabwe: 2.98× the density | 15 / km²#179 of 194 | 43 / km²#142 of 194 |
| Urban populationNorway: 2.06× the urban share | 84%#34 of 192 · 2025 | 41%#148 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateZimbabwe: 2.53× the births per woman | 1.45 per woman#146 of 192 · 2024 | 3.67 per woman#37 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthZimbabwe: 1.19 points higher | +0.69%#115 of 192 · 2025 | +1.88%#52 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateZimbabwe: 3.08× the birth rate | 9.7 per 1,000#147 of 192 · 2024 | 29.9 per 1,000#31 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateNorway: 1.05× the death rate | 7.9 per 1,000#72 of 192 · 2024 | 7.5 per 1,000#86 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Zimbabwe: 24.4 points higher | 15.9%#151 of 192 · 2025 | 40.3%#23 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Norway: 15.5 points higher | 19.1%#34 of 192 · 2025 | 3.6%#150 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationNorway: 8.5 per 1,000 higher | +5.3 per 1,000#19 of 192 · 2025 | −3.2 per 1,000#162 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroad | 0.00 per 1,000#174 of 190 · 2025 | 0.39 per 1,000#80 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyNorway: 20.1 years longer | 83.2 years#13 of 192 · 2024 | 63.1 years#175 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityZimbabwe: 31.2× the infant mortality | 2.0 per 1,000 births#182 of 191 · 2024 | 62.4 per 1,000 births#6 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsNorway: 35.5× the doctors per person | 4.97 per 1,000#11 of 178 · 2023 | 0.14 per 1,000#161 of 178 · 2023 |
| University enrolmentNorway: 12.4× the university enrolment | 95.5%#10 of 145 · 2024 | 7.7%#136 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexNorway: 0.372 higher | 0.970#2 of 190 · 2023 | 0.598#150 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaNorway: 36.6× the income per person | $97,310#2 of 185 · 2025 | $2,660#142 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPNorway: 10.4× the economy | $530.76B2025 | $51.22B2025 |
| Income group | High income | Lower-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Norway: 16.1× the output per person | $104,044#5 of 184 · 2025 | $6,470#143 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthZimbabwe: 7.0 points higher | +1.1%#152 of 187 · 2025 | +8.1%#9 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationZimbabwe: 101.7 points higher | +3.0%#90 of 176 · 2025 | +104.7%#3 of 176 · 2022 |
| UnemploymentZimbabwe: 2.02× the unemployment | 4.6%#102 of 178 · 2025 | 9.3%#38 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyZimbabwe: 246× the share in extreme poverty | 0.2%#121 of 149 · 2023 | 49.2%#12 of 149 · 2019 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Zimbabwe: 23.8 higher | 26.5#139 of 149 · 2023 | 50.3#8 of 149 · 2019 |
| Jobs in agricultureZimbabwe: 51.8 points higher | 2.5% of jobs#152 of 178 · 2025 | 54.3% of jobs#19 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryNorway: 6.3 points higher | 17.8% of jobs#108 of 178 · 2025 | 11.5% of jobs#151 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesNorway: 45.5 points higher | 79.7% of jobs#15 of 178 · 2025 | 34.2% of jobs#159 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentZimbabwe: 3.2 points higher | -1.3% of GDP#174 of 184 · 2025 | 1.9% of GDP#96 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsNorway: 27.3 points higher | 45.4% of GDP#55 of 168 · 2025 | 18.1% of GDP#139 of 168 · 2024 |
| Military spendingNorway: 5.86× the military spending | 3.3% of GDP#22 of 155 · 2025 | 0.6% of GDP#139 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersNorway: 2.38× the share online | 99%#7 of 184 · 2024 | 42%#151 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsNorway: 1.16× the mobile subscriptions | 109 per 100#112 of 191 · 2024 | 94 per 100#137 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaZimbabwe: 1.08× the forest share | 33% of land#93 of 192 · 2024 | 36% of land#81 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personNorway: 9.32× the CO₂ per person | 7.18 t a year#30 of 185 · 2024 | 0.77 t a year#136 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyZimbabwe: 21.0 points higher | 61.4%#36 of 190 · 2021 | 82.4%#13 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityNorway: 38.0 points higher | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 62.0%#161 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Zimbabwe: 2.73× the air pollution | 5.5 µg/m³#180 of 191 · 2023 | 15.0 µg/m³#118 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landZimbabwe: 10.5 points higher | 17.8% of land#94 of 191 · 2025 | 28.3% of land#42 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landZimbabwe: 8.2 points higher | 2.2% of land#159 of 190 · 2024 | 10.4% of land#97 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressZimbabwe: 23.1× the water stress | 2.0%#148 of 176 · 2022 | 46.1%#40 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationNorway: 2.15× the rain and snow | 1,414 mm#64 of 180 · 2022 | 657 mm#119 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityNorway: 1.95 higher | +1.08#29 of 193 · 2025 | −0.87#160 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionNorway: 3.22 higher | +1.93#6 of 193 · 2025 | −1.29#172 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateZimbabwe: 9.71× the homicide rate | 0.7 per 100,000#123 of 146 · 2023 | 6.8 per 100,000#38 of 146 · 2022 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Constitutional monarchyparliamentary constitutional monarchy | Presidential republic |
| Member of | NATO, Schengen Area, OECD | — |
| Capital | Oslo | Harare |
| Currency | Norwegian krone (NOK) | Zimbabwe ZiG (ZWG), United States dollar (USD) |
| Official languages | Norwegian, Sámi, Nynorsk, Bokmål | English, Xhosa, Sesotho, Tswana, Chewa, Shona, Tsonga, Venda, Khoisan, Northern Ndebele, Tonga, Kalanga, Nambya, Ndau, Zimbabwe Sign Language, Barwe |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the left |
| Time zone | UTC+1, summer time UTC+2 | UTC+2 |
| Calling code | +47 | +263 |
| Region | Northern Europe, Europe | Eastern Africa, Africa |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Norway sits at about 66° N and is stretched to 6.22× its true area; Zimbabwe at 19° S is stretched to 1.12×. That difference is why Norway looks so much bigger than it is next to Zimbabwe. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Norway bigger than Zimbabwe?
- No. Norway and Zimbabwe are almost exactly the same size. Norway covers 385,207 km² and Zimbabwe covers 390,757 km².
- How many times does Norway fit into Zimbabwe?
- About 1.0 times: Zimbabwe has 1.01× the area of Norway.
- Why do Norway and Zimbabwe look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Norway is drawn about 6.22× its true area there and Zimbabwe about 1.12×. That is why Norway looks so much bigger than it really is next to Zimbabwe. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Norway or Zimbabwe?
- Zimbabwe: 16,950,795 people against 5,610,870. Density: Norway 15 per km², Zimbabwe 43 per km².
- Which is richer, Norway or Zimbabwe?
- By gross national income per person, Norway: $97,310 against $2,660 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 36.6× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Norway or Zimbabwe?
- In Norway: life expectancy at birth is 83.2 years, against 63.1 — 20.1 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Norway and Zimbabwe have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Norway: constitutional monarchy; Zimbabwe: presidential republic.