Energy costs push national inflation higher in April

Saturday, 23 May 2026 05:36 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

NCPI inflation rises to 4.7% in April from 2.4% in March
Non-food inflation accelerates to 7.8% amid higher fuel and electricity costs
Food inflation remains relatively subdued at 1.1%

National consumer prices accelerated in April as higher fuel, electricity and transport costs filtered through the economy, pushing inflation to its highest level in several months.

According to the Department of Census and Statistics (DCS), headline inflation measured by the National Consumer Price Index (NCPI) rose to 4.7% year-on-year (YoY) in April from 2.4% in March.

The all-items NCPI increased to 216.3 in April from 210.9 in March, reflecting a 2.54% month-on-month increase.

The increase was driven primarily by non-food items linked to energy and services, with non-food inflation rising to 7.8% YoY in April from 3.8% in March. Food inflation increased marginally to 1.1% from 0.7%.

On a YoY basis, non-food items contributed 4.26 percentage points to headline inflation, while food contributed 0.50 percentage points.

Transport was the single largest contributor to inflation, accounting for 1.69 percentage points, followed by housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels, which contributed 1.26 percentage points.

On a month-on-month basis, non-food prices contributed 2.08 percentage points to the overall 2.54% increase in the index.

Transport contributed 0.98 percentage points, reflecting higher petrol, diesel and bus fares, while housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels contributed 0.64 percentage points due to increases in electricity charges, LP gas, kerosene and maintenance materials.