By A Correspondent- The rate of extreme poverty in Zimbabwe fell to 42 percent in 2022, from 43 percent in 2021.

This was said by the Zimbabwe Statistics Agency (ZIMSTAT) on Friday.

The latest figures follow the conclusion of the high-frequency telephone survey, known as the Rapid-Poverty Income Consumption and Expenditure Surveys (PICES) conducted by ZIMSTAT between December 2022 and January 2023.

According to the survey, the proportion of the country’s population facing severe food insecurity fell from 27 percent in July 2020 to 9 percent during the December 2022-January 2023 period. ZIMSTAT said:

In general, food insecurity falls as the country receives good and timely rains.

Zimbabwe’s extreme poverty levels have been gradually falling after peaking at 49 percent at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

The high levels of poverty in Zimbabwe can be attributed to various factors which include hyperinflation, currency devaluation, and lack of foreign investment due to poor economic policies, chaotic land reform, drought, and climate change, as well as the HIV/AIDS epidemic.