The Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZIMSTAT) will next week begin a nationwide listing exercise for the 2026/27 Household Budget Survey (HBS), which will run from 7 to 17 August 2026 across selected Enumeration Areas in all 10 provinces of Zimbabwe.
ZIMSTAT Director General, Tafadzwa Bandama said the exercise was a crucial step in ensuring that the agency collects accurate and reliable data for national planning and policy formulation.
“The primary objective of the listing exercise is to update the household frame and facilitate the scientific selection of households that will participate in the 2026/27 Household Budget Survey,” Bandama said.
He said ZIMSTAT field personnel would collect basic information on residential and non-residential structures, occupancy status of dwellings, the number of households within each structure, and names of heads of households.
“The information collected during this exercise will provide the foundation for selecting households that will take part in the Household Budget Survey, ensuring that the survey results accurately represent the population,” he said.
The Household Budget Survey is conducted in line with the Census and Statistics Act [Chapter 10:29] of 2007, which mandates ZIMSTAT to produce official statistics required for national development planning.
Bandama said the survey would generate data critical for updating the Consumer Price Index (CPI) basket and weights, measuring poverty levels and household welfare, assessing consumption patterns, and estimating the contribution of the informal sector to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
“The Household Budget Survey provides essential information that supports evidence-based policy formulation, planning, budgeting and the design of socio-economic development programmes,” he said.
The survey comes at a time when policymakers increasingly rely on accurate household-level data to design interventions aimed at improving livelihoods, addressing poverty and tracking economic trends.
ZIMSTAT said all information collected during the listing exercise would be treated with strict confidentiality and used only for statistical purposes as provided for under the law.
“Individual information will not be disclosed to any person or organisation,” the agency said.
The statistics body urged households in selected areas to cooperate with its enumerators by providing accurate information. It said participation would contribute towards the production of reliable official statistics that guide national development decisions.
To ensure transparency, ZIMSTAT field personnel conducting the exercise will carry official ZIMSTAT identity cards and authorisation letters issued by the agency to allow households to verify their credentials.
