The inflation rate in Colombo, Sri Lanka’s capital, held steady at 8.0% in September 2026, unchanged from August and marginally below market expectations of 8.1%. It remained the highest level since June 2023, driven by a further increase in food prices, with food inflation rising to a more than three-year high of 8.7%, up from 8.5% in August. Non-food inflation was stable at 7.7%.
Price growth accelerated in several key categories, including housing and utilities (5.5% vs 5.1% in August), clothing and footwear (1.5% vs 1.4%), health (4.0% vs 3.4%), and restaurants and hotels (11.5% vs 11.1%). By contrast, inflation eased slightly in transport (16.3% vs 16.7%) and in miscellaneous goods and services (6.7% vs 6.8%).
On a monthly basis, consumer prices rose by 0.1% in September, slowing from a 0.3% increase in the previous month.
