Rwanda’s headline inflation rate accelerated for the sixth consecutive month, reaching 20.0% in September 2026, up from 15.9% in August, and posting its fastest increase since June 2023. The upturn was driven mainly by food and non-alcoholic beverages—the largest component of the consumer price basket—where inflation jumped to 25.2% from 16.7% in August, the highest rate since September 2023.
Price pressures also intensified in several other categories, including communications (29.1% vs. 27.6% in August), restaurants and hotels (16.0% vs. 13.7%), furnishings (10.8% vs. 10.2%), and clothing and footwear (5.3% vs. 5.0%). In contrast, inflation eased slightly for transportation (26.0% vs. 27.5% in August) and for housing and utilities (19.1% vs. 19.9%).
On a monthly basis, the consumer price index (CPI) rose by 5.0% in September, following a 2.6% increase in August, marking the sharpest monthly gain in five months.
