Online Reporter
Ivan Zhakata
Herald Correspondent
THE Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZimStat) has begun a nationwide household listing exercise ahead of the 2026/27 Household Budget Survey, with the agency urging residents in selected areas to cooperate with enumerators to ensure the production of accurate official statistics.
The listing exercise, which will run from August 7 (today) to August 17, 2026, will be conducted in selected Enumeration Areas across all 10 provinces and is expected to update the household frame used to scientifically select households that will participate in the survey.
In a statement, ZimStat director-general Mrs Tafadzwa Bandama said the exercise was a critical preparatory stage for the Household Budget Survey.
“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,” she said.
Mrs Bandama said enumerators will collect basic information on residential and non-residential structures, occupancy status of dwellings, the number of households occupying each structure and the names of household heads.
She said the Household Budget Survey is conducted in terms of the Census and Statistics Act (Chapter 10:29), which mandates ZimStat to produce official statistics that support national development planning.
“The survey provides critical data for updating the Consumer Price Index basket and weights, measuring poverty and household welfare, analysing household expenditure and consumption patterns, estimating the contribution of the informal sector to Gross Domestic Product and informing evidence-based policy formulation, planning, budgeting and socio-economic development programmes,” said Mrs Bandama.
She assured the public that all information collected during the exercise will remain confidential.
“All information collected will be treated with the strictest confidentiality and used solely for statistical purposes in accordance with the provisions of the Census and Statistics Act. Individual data will not be disclosed to any person or organisation,” she said.
Mrs Bandama urged residents in selected areas to verify the identity of field staff by requesting official ZimStat identity cards before providing information and appealed for full public cooperation to ensure the success of the exercise.
