Zimbabweans Struggle Despite Signs of African Economic Recovery – Report

By ETimes

HARARE – MOST Zimbabweans continue to face severe economic hardship despite signs of recovery across parts of Africa, with rising living costs, unemployment and shortages of basic necessities weighing heavily on households, according to a new Afrobarometer survey.

The survey, which covered 38 African countries in 2024/25, found that while some African economies have shown improvement and inflation has eased in several countries, many citizens have yet to feel the benefits.

Zimbabwe was among countries where inflation remained elevated, and public sentiment reflected ongoing economic pressures.

Afrobarometer found that 63% of Zimbabweans rated the country’s economic condition as “fairly bad” or “very bad,” while 59% said economic conditions had worsened compared with a year earlier.

The report said widespread deprivation remained a reality for many Zimbabweans.

“About half of respondents describe their personal living circumstances as bad, while majorities say they or a family member went without basic necessities such as a cash income, medical care, clean water, food, and cooking fuel at least once during the previous year,” the report said.

According to the survey, 92% of Zimbabweans reported going without a cash income at least once in the previous year, while 71% lacked access to medical care, 64% experienced food shortages and 61% went without clean water.

Joblessness also remained a concern, with 34% of Zimbabweans aged 18-65 saying they were unemployed and looking for work.

The findings showed growing reliance on informal support networks, with 57% of Zimbabweans seeking financial assistance from family members and 50% turning to friends or neighbours to make ends meet.

Despite the difficult conditions, 33% of Zimbabweans said they expect the economy to improve over the next 12 months, although 41% believe conditions will worsen.

The survey also highlighted dissatisfaction with government performance on economic issues, with 91% of Zimbabweans rating efforts to create jobs negatively and 81% expressing disapproval of measures to reduce income inequality.

Afrobarometer said that across Africa, public assessments of government economic management have improved modestly since the Covid-19 period, but economic hardship and pessimism remain widespread.