EXPLORING ZIMBABWE'S PARALLEL ECONOMY: METHODS OF MEASUREMENT AND KEY FINDINGS

A pervasive challenge in analyzing African economies, including Zimbabwe, lies in the dearth of reliable and consistent official statistics, as noted by Yeats (1990). Zimbabwe's Central Statistical Office (CSO), tasked with gathering national statistics, particularly on production activities, grapples with significant shortcomings. These include incomplete coverage and inaccurate estimates of the activities surveyed. Such deficiencies undermine the integrity of economic data, complicating efforts to assess and formulate effective policy interventions. This abstract addresses the critical issue of data reliability in Zimbabwe's economic analysis, highlighting the constraints imposed by deficiencies in official statistics. Drawing upon insights from Yeats (1990) and other relevant literature, the paper examines the challenges facing the CSO and their implications for economic policymaking and analysis. By elucidating the extent of incomplete coverage and inaccuracies in statistical estimates, the study seeks to foster a deeper understanding of the limitations inherent in Zimbabwe's data infrastructure.