CHAMWE KAIRA
The headline annual inflation rate for July, stood at 4.4% compared to 3.5% registered in July 2025.
On a monthly basis, the inflation rate was 0.1%, lower than 0.3% registered during the preceding month. Core inflation stood at 3.7%, slightly below the headline inflation rate.
The zonal inflation rates for the month of July revealed that Zone 2 (Khomas Region) recorded the highest annual inflation rate at 5.3%, followed by Zone 3 (//Kharas, Erongo, Hardap, and Omaheke regions) at 4.3%.
Zone 1 (Kavango East, Kavango West, Kunene, Ohangwena, Omusati, Oshana, Oshikoto, Otjozondjupa, and Zambezi regions) recorded the lowest annual inflation rate at 3.6%.
Statistician general and chief executive officer of the Namibia Statistics Agency, Alex Shimuafeni, said the analysis of the average retail prices for selected products in July, showed that consumers in Zone 1 paid the highest price for a 5kg bag of maize meal at N$78.99, followed by Zone 2 at N$73.37, while the lowest price of N$71.06 was paid by consumers in Zone 3.
Meanwhile, consumers in Zone 3 paid the highest price per/kg for beef stew at N$116.65, followed by Zone 1 at N$111.84 with Zone 2 consumers paying the lowest price of N$104.91.
The transport category, which carries a weight of 14.3% in the consumer basket, recorded an annual inflation rate of 9.3% in July, compared to a deflation of 1.2% in July 2025.
The increase was reflected in the sub-components of operation of personal transport equipment (from -3% to 11.3%) and public transportation services (from 1.3% to 14.7%).
On a monthly basis, the category recorded a deflation rate of 3.1% in July, down from 0.4% in the previous month.
Operation of personal transport equipment recorded an inflation rate of 11.3% during July compared to a deflation of 3% in July 2025.
The rise in the annual inflation rate was reflected in taxi transportation (from 0.0% to 15.4%); rail transportation (from 0.5% to 15.4 %); and bus transportation (from 3.4% to 12.3%).
Purchase of vehicles recorded an annual inflation rate of 1% in July, down from 2.3% in the corresponding month of 2025.
The annual inflation rate for alcoholic beverages and tobacco, which constitutes 12.6 % of the consumer basket, stood at 2.1%in July, down from 6% recorded in the corresponding period last year.
On a monthly basis, this category registered an inflation of 0.6%, up from 0.0 inflation rate observed in preceding month.
Alcoholic beverages recorded an annual inflation rate of 1.4% in July, down from 5.8% in the corresponding month of the previous year.
Meanwhile, tobacco recorded an annual inflation rate of 5.1% in July, down from 6.8% in the corresponding month of the previous year.
The slowdown in annual inflation was attributed to slower price increases across all sub-components of the category.
