Rwanda’s headline inflation accelerated to 26.5% in October 2026 from 20% in September, marking its highest level since April 2023. The pickup was driven by mounting constraints on agricultural supply, as weather-related disruptions reduced crop yields and cut into the availability of fresh food. At the same time, higher energy, fertiliser and transport costs continued to feed through to consumer prices.
Food and non-alcoholic beverages — the largest component of the consumer price basket — remained the primary source of inflationary pressure, with annual inflation in the category jumping to 39.1% in October from 25.2% in September. Within this group, vegetable prices recorded the steepest increase, soaring by 63.7%, while meat prices climbed 20.3% and milk, cheese and eggs rose 19.7%.
Other notable contributors to inflation included communication (29.1%), transport (25.9%), restaurants and hotels (18.1%) and education (18%). On a monthly basis, the consumer price index increased by 6.5% in October, following a 5% rise in the previous month.
