Tunisia's inflation rate has resumed its upward trend, reaching 5.6% in September 2026, as reported by the National Institute of Statistics (INS). This increase comes after several months of decline. The INS released the data on Monday, October 5, 2026, as part of the Consumer Price Index. The rise in inflation is attributed to the acceleration of price increases in several sectors.
The "Food and Beverages" group saw a significant increase of 8.4% in September 2026, up from 7.5% in August 2026. The "Clothing and Footwear" group also experienced a rise, with prices increasing by 9.2% in September 2026, compared to 9% in August 2026. Additionally, the "Education" sector saw a 5.5% increase in prices, up from 5.4% in August 2026.
On an annual basis, the "Food and Beverages" group saw a 8.4% increase in prices. The INS attributed this rise to the surge in prices of various food items, including poultry, which increased by 16.5%, fresh fruits by 16.3%, lamb by 14.6%, beef by 13%, and fresh vegetables by 12.9%. However, the prices of edible oils decreased by 4.1%.
The prices of manufactured products increased by 4.8% over the past year, driven by the rise in prices of clothing and footwear products, which increased by 9.2%. The prices of household cleaning products also saw a 5.1% increase. In the services sector, prices rose by 4.2% over the past year, primarily due to the increase in accommodation services, which rose by 14.7%.
The core inflation rate, which excludes food and energy products, remained stable at 4.9% in September 2026. The prices of free products, which are not regulated, increased by 6.8% over the past year, while the prices of regulated products rose by 1.2%. The prices of free food products saw a 9.4% increase, compared to a 0.2% rise in regulated food products.
On a monthly basis, the Consumer Price Index increased by 0.8% in September 2026 compared to August 2026. This rise was primarily driven by the increase in prices of the "Food and Beverages" group, which rose by 2.1%, the "Education" sector, which increased by 3.9%, and the "Furniture and Household Maintenance" group, which saw a 0.5% rise.
The sectors that contributed the most to the overall inflation were the "Manufactured Products" and "Services" sectors, with contributions of 1.8% and 1.4%, respectively. The "Free Non-Food" and "Free Food" groups were the largest contributors to inflation, with contributions of 3% and 2.4%, respectively.
Key points
- Tunisia's inflation rate has increased to 5.6% in September 2026.
- The "Food and Beverages" group saw a significant increase of 8.4% in September 2026.
- The core inflation rate remained stable at 4.9% in September 2026.
