Food Prices Push Inflation to 15.3pc

Aug 29 , 2026

Ethiopia’s inflation rate rose to 15.3pc in July 2026 from 13.7pc in the same month last year, reaching its highest level in the 13-month period covered by Ethiopian Statistics Service data. Food and non-alcoholic beverages exerted the greatest pressure on consumer prices, with inflation reaching 15.7pc. The increase was driven largely by higher prices for vegetables, meat, dairy products and eggs, fruit, oil and butter, sugar, honey and chocolate, bread and injera. Sugar, honey and chocolate recorded the sharpest annual increase among food items, at 39.4pc. Meat prices rose by 21.6pc, followed by oil and butter at 20.3pc, fruit at 19.2pc, and dairy products and eggs at 18.9pc. Vegetable prices increased by 13.6pc, while bread and injera rose by eight per cent. Non-food inflation stood at 14.8pc in July. Restaurant and hotel prices recorded the largest increase in this category, rising by 25.3pc. Housing-related costs increased by 16pc, transport prices by 15.6pc and communication costs by 15.3pc. Prices for alcoholic beverages and tobacco rose by eight per cent. Education costs recorded an annual increase of 19.3pc, while prices for health-related goods and services rose by 12.8pc. The July reading continued an acceleration that began earlier in the year. ESS data show food inflation rising from 11pc in March 2026 to 15.7pc in July, while non-food inflation more than doubled from seven per cent to 14.8pc over the same period. The increases show that price growth had spread across both food and non-food categories by July.