Zimbabwe inflation dropped from 736% in 2024 to 8% in 2026, with August recording just 2.9% – the lowest since 1980

Zimbabwe’s inflation just hit its lowest level in decades, and almost nobody outside Africa is reporting it. Zimbabwe carries a reputation shaped by 2008, when inflation hit numbers so absurd the country printed a 100 trillion dollar note. That memory still follows every conversation about the Zimbabwean economy. In 2024, annual inflation stood at 736%. […]

Zimbabwe’s inflation just hit its lowest level in decades, and almost nobody outside Africa is reporting it.

Zimbabwe carries a reputation shaped by 2008, when inflation hit numbers so absurd the country printed a 100 trillion dollar note. That memory still follows every conversation about the Zimbabwean economy.

In 2024, annual inflation stood at 736%. As of August 2026, it has fallen to 2.9%, down from 3.2% the month before. The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe credits tight monetary policy, exchange rate stability, and disciplined money supply growth for the turnaround, and expects inflation to stay anchored around 5% for the full year.

This is one of the lowest inflation rates Zimbabwe has recorded in its post independence history. A country that became a global punchline for currency collapse just posted numbers most economies would be proud of.

Progress in Africa rarely gets the same airtime as crisis in Africa. This is worth saying out loud.

Well done Zimbabwe 👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿