Rural Registrants against Census Populations In rural Zimbabwe, the number of registered voters was higher than census data in the 35-49 years and 55-69 years age categories. Figure 7.2 below shows the numbers of rural registrants and census populations. 800000 700000 600000 500000 400000 300000 200000 100000 0 18 - 20 - 25 - 30 - 35 - 40 - 45 - 50 - 55 - 60 - 65 - 70 - 75 - 80 - 85 - 90 - 95 - 100 - 105 - 110+ 19 24 29 34 39 44 49 54 59 64 69 74 79 84 89 94 99 104 109 VR 2012 2018 Figure 7.2: Numbers of Rural Registrants and Census Populations Registration rates for urban areas and younger registrants continue to lag behind those of rural areas and older registrants for the 2018 FVR – though not as much as for the 2013 PVR. The registration rate in rural areas was 83% compared to 72% in urban areas – for the 2013 PVR, the rural registration rate was 97% and the urban registration rate was 66%. While the ZEC allocated additional BVR kits to rural areas that led to high registration rates for rural and older voters, the ZEC did not, despite requests, make similar efforts to ensure higher registration rates for urban and young voters. This disparity undermined the inclusiveness of the VR process. Zimbabwe Population Comparison The final voters’ roll population of registrants was lower than both the baseline census data and the 2018 projections of the adult population. Figure 7.3 below compares the FVR population with census data for 2012 and 2018. 45 | P a g e