Sierra Leone's annual inflation rate increased to 15.66 percent in August 2026, according to the Consumer Price Index released by Statistics Sierra Leone. This represents a 0.77 percentage point rise from 14.89 percent in July. The monthly inflation rate also saw a sharp increase from 0.42 percent in July to 2.19 percent in August.
The Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas and Other Fuels category recorded an annual inflation rate of 87.73 percent in August, up from 83.72 percent in July. Transport inflation also rose to 41.49 percent, compared with 37.04 percent the previous month. These two categories were identified as the largest contributors to the national annual inflation rate.
Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels contributed 7.81 percentage points to the national inflation rate, while transport contributed 3.53 percentage points. The sharpest monthly increase among major categories was recorded in transport, whose inflation rate moved from -2.94 percent in July to 2.67 percent in August, a 5.61 percentage-point increase.
Food inflation remained significantly lower than non-food inflation, with an annual rate of 5.82 percent for food and non-alcoholic beverages, compared with 23.54 percent for non-food items. Food and non-alcoholic beverage inflation increased only slightly from 5.74 percent in July. Non-food inflation rose by 1.43 percentage points from 22.11 percent.
Other categories that recorded annual increases included health at 11.75 percent, restaurants and hotels at 18.73 percent, and furnishings, household equipment and routine household maintenance at 6.38 percent. Clothing and footwear was among the categories that declined, falling to 4.81 percent from 6.26 percent in July.
Regional inflation rates varied, with the Western Area recording the highest annual inflation rate at 24.12 percent, rising from 21.87 percent in July. The Northern Region followed at 16.77 percent, while Eastern Region increased from 9.80 percent to 10.07 percent. In contrast, Southern Region's annual inflation rate fell from 6.49 percent to 4.25 percent.
Statistics Sierra Leone noted that only the Western Area and Northern Region recorded inflation rates above the national estimate in August. The statistics agency also noted that Sierra Leone has recorded a double-digit national inflation rate for six consecutive months since March 2025. The August 2026 Consumer Price Index was released by Statistics Sierra Leone on September 15, 2026.
Key points
- Housing and transport costs drove Sierra Leone's inflation rate to 15.66% in August 2026.
- Food inflation remained significantly lower than non-food inflation at 5.82%.
- Regional inflation rates varied, with Western Area recording the highest rate at 24.12%.
