Information on the genetic diversity of the oil palm germplasms is important for the establishment of an ex-situ core collection. In this study, the assessment of genetic diversity in the MPOB-Zaire oil palm germplasm collection may prove to be valuable in developing appropriate sampling strategies for conservation. Data for 18 phenotypic variables for 55 populations were analysed for principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis (CA). Five paramount principal components with eigenvalues >1.0 accounted for 82.7% of the total variability. PC1 revealed the highest contribution and predominantly attributed to average bunch weight, leaf area index, and bunch weight variables. PC2 was highly associated with oil to bunch, mesocarp to fruit and oil to dry mesocarp. The evaluated populations were grouped into two major clusters, each comprising a few sub-clusters based on phenotypic variables. The study revealed that the MPOB-Zaire germplasm has potential, where selected populations e.g. ZER21, which show dwarf (28.12 cm yr^-1) and high kernel (8.03%) characteristics can be used in introgression programmes to further improve advanced breeding lines and develop new breeding material. These results may assist in the selection strategies of populations for regeneration purposes and secure a greater range of diversity compared to sampling at random. Molecular-based diversity patterns could be integrated in future to effectively conserve and exploit.