In the mononuclear title complex, [Zn(PMG)₂]·2H₂O or [Zn(C₈H₉N₂O₂)₂]·2H₂O, the Zn^II center is surrounded by two N-(2-pyridyl­methyl)­glycinate (PMG) ligands, which impose a distorted octahedral environment on the metal. Two deprotonated mol­ecules of the new tridentate N,N',O-donor ligand HPMG are facially coordinated to the Zn^II center in such a way that the atoms of the same kind are mutually trans to each other, generating a centrosymmetric structure.