Lebanon Inflation Rate Slows in May

The annual inflation rate in Lebanon rose to 19.0% in May 2026, slowing from an over one-year high of 20.0% in the previous month. Price growth eased for food and non-alcoholic beverages (17.9% vs 18.0%), housing and utilities (21.6% vs 26.3%), alcoholic beverages and tobacco (8.6% vs 10.6%), restaurants and hotels (15.6% vs 16.0%), and miscellaneous goods and services (14.6% vs 15.1%). Meanwhile, costs accelerated for transportation (37.8% vs 33.3%), clothing and footwear (5.7% vs 4.9%), furnishings, household equipment, and routine household maintenance (7.1% vs 6.1%), and recreation, amusement, and culture (48.4% vs 42.2%). On a monthly basis, consumer prices rose 0.5%, easing from 3.0% in the previous month.

The annual inflation rate in Lebanon rose to 20.0% in April 2026, accelerating from 17.3% in the previous month. This marked the highest reading since September 2024, mainly driven by faster price growth in housing and utilities (26.3% vs 20.3% in March), transportation (33.3% vs 24.8%), clothing and footwear (4.9% vs 2.4%), alcoholic beverages and tobacco (10.6% vs 8.7%), furnishings, household equipment, and routine household maintenance (6.1% vs 5.1%), restaurants and hotels (16.0% vs 11.3%), and miscellaneous goods and services (15.1% vs 14.6%). At the same time, costs remained steady for health (2.2%) and education (35.7%). Meanwhile, inflation moderated for food and non-alcoholic beverages (18.0% vs 19.4%) and recreation, amusement, and culture (42.2% vs 42.7%). On a monthly basis, consumer prices rose 3.0%, easing from 4.9% in the previous month, which was the highest monthly increase since October 2023.

The annual inflation rate in Lebanon rose to 17.3% in March 2026, accelerating from 12.3% in the previous month. This marked the highest reading since December 2024, mainly driven by faster price growth in food and non-alcoholic beverages (19.4% vs 16.0% in February), housing and utilities (20.3% vs 14.8%), transportation (24.8% vs 6.0%), health (2.2% vs 2.0%), furnishings, household equipment, and routine household maintenance (5.1% vs 4.3%), alcoholic beverages and tobacco (8.7% vs 7.4%), recreation, amusement, and culture (42.7% vs 30.3%), restaurants and hotels (11.3% vs 7.9%), and miscellaneous goods and services (14.6% vs 13.6%). Meanwhile, inflation moderated for clothing and footwear (2.4% vs 3.9%), while it remained steady for education (-35.7%) and communication (-1.6%). On a monthly basis, consumer prices rose 4.9% from 1.9%, the highest since October 2023.