CHAMWE KAIRA
Headline annual inflation rate for August, stood at 5% compared to 3.2% registered in August 2025.
Alex Shimuafeni, Statistician General and chief executive officer of the Namibia Statistics Agency said on a monthly basis, the inflation rate was 0.6%, compared to 0.1% registered during the preceding month.
Core inflation stood at 3.8%, below the headline inflation rate. The zonal inflation rates for August revealed that Zone 2 (Khomas Region) recorded the highest annual inflation rate at 5.9%, followed by Zone 3 (//Kharas, Erongo, Hardap, and Omaheke regions) at 5.2% and Zone 1 (Kavango East, Kavango West, Kunene, Ohangwena, Omusati, Oshana, Oshikoto, Otjozondjupa, and Zambezi regions) recorded the lowest annual inflation rate at 4%.
The analysis of the average retail prices for selected products in August showed that on average, consumers in Zone 3 paid the highest price for pure sunflower cooking oil, at N$35.12 per 750ml, followed by Zone 2 at N$33.99, while the lowest price of N$32.89 was paid by consumers in Zone 1.
Meanwhile, consumers in Zone 1 paid the highest average for petrol at N$25.16 per litre, followed by Zone 3 at N$25.11 and Zone 2 consumers paying the lowest price of N$24.97.
The housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels division, which accounts for 28.4% of the consumer basket, recorded an annual inflation rate of 4.3% in August, up from 3.4% witnessed in August 2025.
The increase in annual inflation for this component was mainly driven by higher price changes in ‘electricity, gas and other fuels’, which rose from 1.6% to 4.1%, ‘regular maintenance and repair of dwelling’, which increased from 2% to 4% as well as rental payments for dwelling (both owners and renters) from 3.7% to 4.3%.
On a monthly basis, the category recorded a deflation rate of 0.4%, from an inflation rate of 0.8% in the previous month.
The annual inflation rate for coffee, tea and cocoa stood at 3.5% in August, compared to 7.2% recorded in the corresponding period of the previous year.
The moderation was driven by slower price increases in ‘coffee’ (from 12.7% to 3.3%); and ‘chocolate drinks’ (from 6.7% to 2.2%).
Food as a sub-category makes up 14.8% of the total consumer basket in the NCPI, whereas, ‘bread, and cereals’ accounts for the largest weight (up to 4.8%) of food items purchased by households, followed by meat (3.5%); ‘sugar, jam, honey, syrups, chocolate, and confectionery’ (1.4%); vegetables and ‘milk, cheese, and eggs’ (1.2%) each.
The fish subcomponent registered an annual inflation rate of 3.7 percent in August 2026, compared to the 8.3% recorded in August 2025.
This significant slowdown is primarily reflected in the price levels of ‘fresh, chilled and frozen fish’ (from 7.8% to 1.7%) and ‘dried, smoked, or salted fish and seafood’ (from 12.6% to 10.8%).
Meat recorded an inflation rate of 3.8% in August, compared to 8.3% in the corresponding month of 2025.
The slowdown in the inflation rate for this category was mainly reflected in beef (from 13.7% to 3.7%), sausages (from 9.0% to -0.7%), mutton/lamb (from 11.6% to 5.6%); bacon (from 3.1% to -2.0%), and pork (from 6.4% to 1.4%).
