Senegal Inflation Rate Hits 8-Month Top

Senegal's annual inflation rate rose to 0.8% in February 2026, up from 0.4% in January. The heavyweight food index rebounded, rising 0.2% after a 0.5% decline previously. Additional upward pressure came from restaurants and hotels (2.7% versus 2.1%), housing and utilities (0.7% versus 0.4%), health (1.5% versus 1.3%), clothing and footwear (0.8% versus 0.6%), and recreation, sports and culture (1.3% versus 1.0%). Meanwhile, prices slowed for transportation (0.2% versus 0.7%) and continued to fall for communication (-0.4% versus -0.7%). Core consumer prices, excluding energy and fresh produce, rose by 2.5%. On a monthly basis, consumer prices fell 0.2% in February, following a 1.3% decline in the previous month.

Senegal’s annual inflation rate fell sharply to 0.4% in January 2026, marking the lowest reading in eight months and down from 2.8% in the previous month. The slowdown was largely driven by a decline in food and non-alcoholic beverage prices, which fell by 0.5% after rising 4.5% previously. Price pressures also eased across most other categories, including housing and utilities (0.4% vs. 1.2%), transport (0.7% vs. 1.4%), furnishings (1.9% vs. 2.5%), restaurants and hotels (2.1% vs. 3.0%), alcoholic beverages and tobacco (13.4% vs. 17.2%), health (1.3% vs. 1.5%), and recreation and culture (1.0% vs. 1.6%). Meanwhile, inflation in clothing and footwear stood at 0.6%, while education price growth picked up to 1.0% from 0%. Deflation in the communication sector also eased, with prices falling by 0.7% compared with a 1.7% decline in the previous month. On a monthly basis, consumer prices continued to fall for a third consecutive month, declining by 1.3%.

Senegal’s annual inflation rate slowed slightly to 2.8% in December 2025, down from November’s 20-month high of 2.9%. The deceleration came as food inflation eased to 4.5% from 5.0% in November, which had marked the fastest growth since March 2024. Inflation also moderated in transport (1.4% vs 2.9% in November), furnishings (2.5% vs 3.3%), and healthcare (1.5% vs 2.3%), while remaining steady for clothing and footwear (0.6%) and restaurants (3.0%). Meanwhile, inflation accelerated in housing and utilities (1.2% vs 1.0%) as well as alcoholic beverages and tobacco (17.2% vs 15.9%). Conversely, prices in the information and communication sector continued to decline (-1.7% vs -3.6%). Excluding energy and fresh products, the core index advanced 4.1% yoy, easing from a 4.7% rise in November. On a monthly basis, consumer prices fell by 0.9% in December, following a 0.1% drop in November, marking the steepest monthly decline in 13 months.