Botswana Inflation Rate Edges Down to 9.3%

Botswana's annual inflation rate ticked down to 9.3% in August 2026 from 9.4% in the prior month and decelerating further from a recent peak of 10.7%. Price growth moderated a bit for transportation (19.7% vs 19.9%); food & non-alcoholic beverages (5.9% vs 6.6%); alcoholic beverages & tobacco (10% vs 10.7%) and miscellaneous goods & services (11.6% vs 11.7%). On the other hand, inflation remained steady for restaurants & hotels (at 5.3%), but accelerated for housing & utilities (4.8% vs 3.9%). On a monthly basis, consumer prices went up by 0.4%, after decreasing by 1.8% in the month before.

Botswana's annual inflation rate fell to 9.4% in July 2026 from 10.7% previously, which was the highest reading since December 2022. Price growth moderated slightly for transportation (19.9% vs 28.4% in June) and clothing & footwear (5.1% vs 5.3%). Conversely, prices continued to accelerate for other CPI items, including miscellaneous goods & services (11.7% vs 11.5%); alcoholic beverages & tobacco (10.7% vs 10.6%); food & non-alcoholic beverages (6.6% vs 5.7%) and restaurants & hotels (5.3% vs 5.2%). Also, costs rebounded for housing & utilities (3.9% vs -0.4%). On a monthly basis, consumer prices decreased by 1.8%, after a 0.2% rise in the prior month.

Botswana's annual inflation rate held at 10.7% in June 2026, unchanged from May and remaining at its highest level since December 2022. The largest contributors to headline inflation were transport (28.4% vs. 28.6% in May), miscellaneous goods and services (11.5% vs. 11.1%), and food and non-alcoholic beverages (5.7% vs 5.7%). Additional upward pressure stemmed from prices of alcoholic beverages & tobacco (10.6% vs 10.5%); clothing and footwear (5.3% vs 4.8%); furnishings and household equipment (5% vs 5.1%); restaurants & hotels (5.2% vs 5.1%), among others. Conversely, declines were seen for housing & utilities (-0.4% vs -0.2%) and communication (-1.1% vs -0.9%).On a monthly basis, the CPI rose by 0.2% in June, after a 0.3% increase in the previous month.