Kosovo Inflation Eases in May

Kosovo’s inflation rate declined to 6.8% year-over-year in May 2026, down from a three-year high of 7.5% in April, as price growth slowed for transport (14.1% vs. 16.1%), housing and utilities (13.2% vs. 15.2%), and food and non-alcoholic beverages (5.1% vs. 5.6%). Month-over-month, consumer prices fell 0.4% in May, following a 1.1% increase in April.

The annual inflation rate in Kosovo rose to 7.5% in April 2026 from 6.7% in the previous month. This marked the sharpest increase since February 2023, driven largely by significantly higher costs for housing and utilities (at 15.2%) and transportation (16.1% vs 10.5% in March). Prices also continued to rise for food and non-alcoholic beverages (5.6% vs 6.5%), alcoholic beverages and tobacco (5.1% vs 4%), health (4.7% vs 4.6%), and restaurant and hotels (5.8% vs 6.7%). On the other hand, costs declined for communication (-0.2% vs -0.5%) and education (-0.6% vs -0.3%). On a monthly basis, consumer prices rose by 1.1% in April, following a 1.5% gain in the preceding period.

The annual inflation rate in Kosovo rose to 6.7% in March 2026, up from 6% in the prior month. This marks a new high since March 2023, as transport prices surged to 10.5% from a 2.1% increase in the previous month, while slowing for all other categories. Price pressures eased for food (6.7% versus 8%), housing and utilities (15.2% versus 15.7%), furnishings (2.9% versus 3.4%), alcoholic beverages, and tobacco (4% versus 4.9%), restaurants, and hotels (6.7% versus 9.2%), clothing and footwear (1.7% versus 3%), recreation, and culture (1.5% versus 1.8%), health (4.6% versus 7.1%), while prices reversed for education (-0.3% versus 0.5%). On a monthly basis, consumer prices rose 1.5%, up from 0.6% in the previous month.