Extreme poverty rate for September 2021 in Zimbabwe declined to 43% from 49% recorded the previous year, driven by a drop in deprivation in rural areas according to a survey by Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZimStat).
The sixth round of Poverty, Income, Consumption and Expenditure Surveys (PICES) Rapid survey also says a successful 2020/21 agricultural season and gradual resumption of economic activities after the easing of lockdown likely played a role in the extreme poverty decline.
ZIMSTAT conducted a round six survey from 12 September to 23 October 2021 on around 1351 households.
Partners in the research include the Government of Zimbabwe, ZIMREF, World Bank, UNICEF and development partners.
Food insecurity fell to 39% from 72% in 2021 according to ZimStat.
“There was a marked decline in the need to buy key foodstuffs such as maize meal, cooking oil, and chicken in late 2021, particularly in rural areas. This may be explained by a bumper maize harvest in the 2020 / 2021 agricultural season and an increase in consumption of own-produced oil and chicken,” the survey says.
The survey also shows that 92% of school-age children in the surveyed households attended educational facilities since the when the government reopened schools in September 2021.
Financial constraints however kept children out of school.
Only 26% of the households paid school fees in full, 52% partly paid and 22% made other arrangements.
In urban areas, 50% of the households paid school fees in part compared to 53% in rural households.
In terms of vaccination, about 62% of the households in the six-round of the survey reported that they were vaccinated compared to 20% in round five.
Among those that needed medication, the proportion of households that were able to buy decreased to 75% in round 6 from 95% in round five of the survey.
