Zimbabwe has been named the most miserable country in the world ahead of war-torn Ukraine, Syria and Sudan on renowned economist Steve Hanke’s Annual Misery Index (HAMI).
Hanke blamed Zimbabwe’s hyperinflation as the main reason for it topping his list. It came fifth in his 2021 analysis for the same reason.
The inflation rate is currently the highest at 243% while unemployment stands at 20%. Hanke further predicted a lowly 0.9% Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth against Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube’s projected 6%.
“Zimbabwe takes this year’s prize as the most miserable country in the world. Since the reign of Robert Mugabe, which began in 1980, and then his successor, Emmerson Mnangagwa, the political party Zanu PF has had an iron grip on Zimbabwean politics,” said Hanke.
“Indeed, Zanu PF operates more like a political mafia than a political party. Its policies have resulted in massive misery. For example, Zimbabwe has suffered endemic inflation since the Mugabe era, including two episodes of…
