MIGRATION across Zimbabwe’s main border routes have declined, a new International Organisation for Migration (IOM) report shows.
The decline reflects shifting regional mobility patterns driven largely by economic pressures, with most travellers still moving in search of work, particularly to South Africa, according to the IOM’s latest monitoring data.
The IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix Flow Monitoring Dashboard for March 2026 recorded 3 607 movements, marking a 19% decrease compared to the previous month.
Data was collected at key transit points including Chirundu (Zambia corridor), Beitbridge (South Africa route) and Maitengwe (Botswana route).
The report notes that demographic data was captured for 3 276 individuals (91%), with men making up the majority of travellers.
“Among those whose sex and age could be determined, 56% were men, 29% were women, 8% were boys (under 18 years) and 7% were girls (under 18 years),” IOM said.
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Economic necessity remained the dominant driver of mobility, with 52% of travellers moving for employment or job-seeking purposes. Among these, 63% cited South Africa as their destination, reinforcing its continued role as the region’s key labour hub.
Migration flows were also found to be highly regional and diverse.
“The top six nationalities were Zimbabwean (31%), followed by Malawian (29%), Congolese from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (12%), Zambian (8%), Tanzanian (6%), and Mozambican (4%),” IOM said, adding that there was a decline in numbers from countries such as Ethiopia, Rwanda, Somalia and Uganda.
Beyond economics, social and personal reasons also shaped migration patterns. The report found that 67% of respondents were married, while many cited temporary travel for personal reasons.
It notes that “67% married” were among respondents, while “temporary visit for personal reasons” accounted for a significant share of travel motivations.
On education levels, IOM observed that “43% of the interviewed migrants… indicated their highest level of education as upper secondary education,” suggesting that many migrants possess moderate levels of formal education.
Among those employed, “their top three occupations were skilled manual (18%), technicians (17%) and elementary occupations (17%).”
The report further explains the methodology behind the findings, noting that “flow monitoring is a data collection activity which seeks to gather key information on mobility and migrant profiles,” using both direct observation and interviews conducted at designated flow monitoring points.
However, IOM cautioned against overgeneralising the findings, stating that “these data are not representative of all migration flows in the border area and cannot be generalised,” as they only capture movements observed during specific times and at selected locations.
The organisation emphasised that “the data produced through these exercises should be considered as estimates only.”
Despite these limitations, the findings reflect a fluid but economically pressured migration landscape, with Zimbabwe continuing to function as a key origin, transit and destination country in Southern Africa’s mobility network.