Zimbabwe's inflation rose above 1,000 per cent in April, dramatising the severity of an economic crisis which analysts say could trigger street protests against President Robert Mugabe's government.
Zimbabwe, in its eighth year of recession, has the fastest shrinking economy of a country outside a war zone, according to the World Bank.
Critics accuse Mr Mugabe of running down the country with a series of controversial policies.
The official statistics agency said today the annual inflation rate - already the highest in the world - hit a record 1,042.9 per cent in April after rising 913.6 per cent in March.
Economists say the inflation rate could end the year at around 1,800 per cent. "As expected, it's more doom and gloom..," said leading economic consultant and commentator John Robertson. "Unfortunately things are going to get worse until the government realises, not just in word but in deed, that a turnaround programme can only succeed with pragmatic policies that recognise and respect property rights, fundamental economic principles and political cooperation with the international community," he said.
Analysts say Mr Mugabe has dented Zimbabwe's investment image with his seizure of white-owned commercial farms for blacks, and that government plans to acquire a 51 per cent stake in all foreign-owned mines will keep external funding at bay.
Zimbabwe's main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) says it is organising peaceful anti-government marches to protest Mr Mugabe's political and economic policies.