THE monthly inflation rate tumbled to 0% in the month of March 2025 on the back of a sustained tight liquidity stance and a cocktail of measures.
Latest data released by the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZIMSTAT) shows that the weighted month-on-month inflation rate was 0.0 percent in March 2025, shedding 0.3 percentage points on the February 2025 rate of 0.3 percent.
“The USD month-on-month inflation rate was 0.1 percent in March 2025, shedding 0.1 percentage points on the February 2025 rate of 0.2 percent. The USD year-on-year inflation rate (annual percentage change) for the month of March 2025 as measured by the all-items USD Consumer Price Index (CPI), was 15%.
“The ZWG month-on-month inflation rate was -0.1% in March 2025, shedding -0.6 percentage points on the February 2025 rate of 0.5 percent,” said ZIMSTAT.
The Food Poverty Line (FPL) for one person in March 2025 was ZWG864.20. FPL represents the amount of money that an individual requires to afford a daily minimum energy intake of 2,100 calories. ZIMSTAT uses the consumer basket for an individual deemed to be extremely poor to calculate the poverty line.
The Total Consumption Poverty Line (TCPL) for one person was ZWG 1,260.52 in March 2025. TCPL is derived by adding the non-food consumption expenditures of an individual deemed to be extremely poor and the FPL.
During the period, the total value of exported goods in February 2025 was US$ 512.6 million, representing a 21.4% decrease from USD 652.0 million reported in January 2025.
Imports for February 2025 amounted to US$730.3 million, a decrease of 2.5 % from US$749.2 million recorded in January 2025. The February 2025 trade deficit for goods was US$ 217.7 million, translating to a 124.2% increase from a deficit of USD 97.1 million recorded in January 2025.
Among the country’s major export destinations in February 2025 were the United Arab Emirates (42.6%), South Africa (23.3%) and China (19.3%). The three countries accounted for around 85% of the total export value of US$512.6 million.