The ^natZr(γ, xn)⁸⁹⁻⁸⁶Zr reaction cross-sections were experimentally determined at the bremsstrahlung end-point energies of 12, 14, 16, 45, 50, 55, 60 and 70MeV by activation and off-line γ-ray spectrometric technique using the 20MeV electron linac (ELBE) at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), Dresden, Germany, and the 100MeV electron linac at the Pohang Accelerator Laboratory (PAL), Pohang, Korea. The ^natZr(γ, xn)⁸⁹⁻⁸⁶Zr reaction cross-sections as a function of photon energy were also calculated using the TALYS 1.4 computer code. The flux-weighted average cross-sections at the end-point energies of 12–16 and 45–70MeV were obtained using the literature and the TALYS calculation data based on mono-energetic photons and are found to be in good agreement with the present data. It was also found that the present data and the flux-weighted literature and theoretical values for the ^natZr (γ, xn)⁸⁹⁻⁸⁶Zr reaction cross-sections increase from the threshold values to a certain energy, where other reaction channels open. This indicates the role of excitation energy. However, the increasing trend of the ^natZr(γ, xn)^89,88Zr reaction cross-sections are sharper from the threshold value up to end-point bremsstrahlung energies of 17–22MeV compared to the same for the ^natZr(γ, xn)^87,86Zr reactions. This is due to the Giant Dipole Resonance (GDR) effect besides the role of excitation energy. After a certain value, the individual ^natZr(γ, xn) reaction cross-sections decrease with the increase of bremsstrahlung energy due to opening of other reactions, which indicates partitioning of energy in different channels.