Zambia and Sierra Leone report divergent inflation trends

Zambia's annual inflation rate fell to 6.2% in August 2026, reaching its lowest level since February 2018. According to the Zambia Statistics Agency, this decline from 6.5% in July places headline inflation within the Bank of Zambia’s target range of 6%–8%. The slowdown was driven largely by easing food inflation, which dropped to 6.0% in August, supported by lower prices for cereals, maize, milk, sugar, and eggs.

In contrast, Sierra Leone reported a slight increase in its annual inflation rate, rising to 14.89% in July 2026 from 14.77% in June. Data from Statistics Sierra Leone indicates that while food inflation decreased to 5.74%, non-food inflation climbed to 22.11%. The primary driver of price pressure in Sierra Leone remains housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels, which saw annual inflation reach 83.72%.