ZIMBABWE’S inflation remained largely stable in August 2026, with both local currency and US dollar measures staying in single digits for the eighth consecutive month, the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency said.
Presenting the August price statistics on Tuesday, ZimStats price statistics manager Mr Thomas Chikadaya said the ZWG month-on-month inflation rate was 0.1 percent in August 2026, unchanged from the July 2026 rate of 0.1 percent.
The ZWG year-on-year inflation rate, as measured by the all-items ZWG Consumer Price Index, was 2.9 percent in August, shedding 0.3 percentage points from the 3.2 percent recorded in July.
The USD month-on-month inflation rate was 0.0 percent in August 2026, down 0.3 percentage points from 0.3 percent in July.
The USD year-on-year inflation rate was 3.1 percent in August, remaining constant with the July 2026 rate of 3.1 percent.
The weighted month-on-month inflation rate was 0.0 percent in August, shedding 0.3 percentage points from 0.3 percent in July.
The weighted year-on-year inflation rate was 3.2 percent in August, also unchanged from July’s 3.2 percent.
Commenting on the figures, economist Mr George Nhepera said the sustained low inflation reflects prudent monetary management.
“The country has now managed to sustain single-digit inflation in both the local currency (ZWG) and USD from January 2026 to August 2026, as reflected by these latest figures,” said Mr Nhepera.
“This is a clear positive testimony to prudent liquidity and reserve money management by the central bank, coupled with market resilience to global economic shocks.”
Looking ahead, Mr Nhepera said maintaining the current trajectory will require consistency in policy, with attention turning to longer-term structural issues.
“Going forward, not much is needed to maintain this current trajectory outside of staying on course with the current policies, and we should now shift our focus to other unresolved economic problems in our country, such as debt arrears clearance, limited industrialisation and lack of access to international capital markets,” he said.
Experts say Zimbabwe’s stable and low inflation environment has strengthened macroeconomic predictability, boosted confidence in the local currency and provided a firm foundation for sustained economic growth.-jerald
