Tinotenda Hove – Zimbabwe’s inflation edged up again in April, with increases in transport fares and food prices pushing the cost of living higher and placing added strain on households.

Information released on Monday, 27 April 2026, by the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (Zimstat) indicates that the Zimbabwe Gold (ZWG) month-on-month inflation rate rose to 1.1% in April, up from 0.5% recorded in March.

Annual inflation also crept up, moving from 4.4% to 4.8%, reflecting ongoing price pressures across key sectors despite earlier signs of stability.

“The ZWG month-on-month inflation rate was 1.1 percent in April 2026, gaining 0.6 percentage points on the March 2026 rate of 0.5 percent,” Zimstat said.

“For the month of April 2026, increases in the index were mainly observed in the transport division followed by the food and non-alcoholic beverages division.”

Rising prices were also recorded in the United States dollar basket. Month-on-month inflation in USD terms increased to 1.1% in April from 0.5% in March, while annual USD inflation rose to 2.2% from 1.3%.

The cost of basic needs continued to climb, with the Food Poverty Line for one person reaching ZiG909.72 in April. The Total Consumption Poverty Line also rose to ZiG1,329.07, highlighting the growing challenge of meeting essential expenses.

Upstream costs showed a similar upward trend. The Producer Price Index, excluding agriculture, increased to 226.62 in March from 223.09 in February, marking a 1.6% monthly rise.

Construction-related costs rose more sharply. The Civil Engineering Material Price Index jumped to 209.88 in March from 195.92 in February, a 7.1% increase over the month.

Meanwhile, the Building Materials Price Index climbed to 202.47 in March, up from 194.44 in December 2025, representing a quarterly increase of 4.1%.

In United States dollar terms, building material costs also rose by 3.7% over the same period, indicating continued pressure across the construction sector.