By Own Correspondent

THE local ZWG unit annual inflation rose to 4,3% in the month of October 2026 in a move which leaves the working class in dire straits since the majority are earning salaries in the local ZWG currency.

According to data published by the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (Zimstat) annual inflation rose by 0,6% in the month of October 2026.

“The ZWG year on year inflation rate (annual percentage change) for the month of October 2026 as measured by all items Consumer Price Index (CPI) was 4,3 % gaining 0,6 percentage points on the 2026 rate of 3,7%,” the stats agency said.

Effectively, workers are bound to lose out more because employers rarely make timely adjustments in times of depreciation.

In late 2026, a modest uptick in inflation (rising to 4.3% in October) was primarily driven by domestic transportation and fuel price spikes, heavily attributed to global crude oil and logistics costs.

While the official exchange rate has stabilized around ZWG 25–27 per US dollar, forward-pricing of goods at rates of ZWG32 -33 against the dollar as obtained on the parallel market continues to be common practice as businesses gravitate towards hedging against the black-market depreciation of the local currency.

During the period, the mean ZWG month on month inflation rate for the period January 2026 to October 2026 was 0.4%.The mean ZWG month on month inflation rate from January 2025 to December 2025 was 1,2%.

The USD year on year inflation rate (annual percentage change) for the month of October 2026 as measured by the all items USD consumer Price Index was 3,2% , shedding 0,3% point on the September 2026 rate of 3,5%.

This means that prices as measured by the all items CPI was 3,2% shedding 0,3 percentage points on the September 2026 rate of 3,5%.

“The Total Consumption Poverty Line (TCPL) for one person was ZWG1 354 in October 2026.This means that an individual required that much to purchase both non -food and food items as at October 2026 in order to be deemed poor. The TCPL represents the minimum total income needed for an individual not to be deemed poor,” said Zimstat.