Sierra Leone’s annual inflation rate rose slightly to 14.89 percent in July 2026, up from 14.77 percent in June, according to figures released recently by Statistics Sierra Leone (Stats SL). The increase, though modest at 0.12 percentage points, extends a run of double-digit inflation that has now persisted for five consecutive months since March 2025.

While the headline rate ticked up, the month-on-month picture told a different story: prices rose by just 0.42 percent in July, a sharp slowdown from June’s 1.57 percent monthly increase.

The national inflation figure masked a split between two major spending categories. Food and non-alcoholic beverages, which carry the largest weight in the CPI basket at 40.3 percent, saw annual inflation fall to 5.74 percent in July, down from 6.79 percent in June. Non-food inflation, by contrast, climbed to 22.11 percent from 21.03 percent, with nine of the eleven non-food divisions posting increases.

Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels remained the standout driver of price pressure, with annual inflation in that category hitting 83.72 percent in July, up from 81.33 percent in June. Stats SL identified housing and fuel costs as the single largest contributor to the overall inflation rate, followed by transport and food.

Related News

Other categories posting notable annual increases included clothing and footwear (up to 6.26 percent from 3.28 percent), health (up to 11.04 percent from 9.25 percent), and miscellaneous goods and services (up to 1.87 percent from -0.43 percent).

Transport was the main category pulling inflation down, with its annual rate falling to 37.04 percent in July from 40.23 percent in June — a drop of more than 3 percentage points. Education services showed no change between the two months, holding steady at an 8.59 percent annual rate.

Inflation varied considerably across Sierra Leone’s regions. The Western Area recorded the highest annual inflation at 21.87 percent, up from 21.38 percent in June, while the Northern Region followed at 16.06 percent, slightly down from 16.29 percent. Both regions posted double-digit rates and sat above the national average.

The Eastern Region’s inflation rose to 9.80 percent from 8.74 percent, while the Southern Region saw a sharp decline to 6.49 percent from 8.48 percent. The North-West Region recorded the lowest annual inflation, easing to 2.39 percent from 2.51 percent.

Stats SL noted that with the exception of the Western Area and Northern Region, all other regions posted inflation rates below the national figure.

The latest figures come against the backdrop of a broader disinflation trend. National inflation peaked at 64.67 percent in late 2023 before falling to single digits by late 2025. The recent uptick — inflation has risen for several consecutive months since bottoming out around 4-5 percent late last year — suggests renewed price pressures, particularly in housing and fuel costs, are re-emerging even as food prices cool.

The Consumer Price Index is compiled by Stats SL using prices for more than 440 items collected from markets in Freetown, Bo, Kenema, Kono, Makeni, and Port Loko-Kambia, using a Modified Laspeyres formula referenced to December 2021 prices.

Statistics Sierra Leone’s July 2026 CPI report was approved for release by Statistician General and CEO Andrew Bob Johnny.