Senegal Inflation Rate Eases to 1.3% in May

The annual inflation rate in Senegal edged down to 1.3% in May 2026 from 1.4% in each of the prior two months. Price-growth moderated primarily for alcoholic beverages, tobacco & narcotics (10.9% vs 11.5% in April); food & non-alcoholic beverages (1% vs 1.7%); health (1.3% vs 1.6%) and recreation & culture (1.1% vs 1.4%). Meanwhile, prices rose faster for some CPI items, including clothing and footwear(1.4% vs 0.8%), transport (0.9% vs 0.6%), while rebounding for housing & utilities (1.9% vs -0.4%). On a monthly basis, the CPI rose by 0.2%, after a 0.5% decrease in the previous month.

The annual inflation rate in Senegal stood at 1.4% in April 2026, unchanged from March’s three-month high. The main upward pressure came from food and non-alcoholic beverages inflation, which remained elevated at 1.7%, unchanged from March. Inflation accelerated in alcohol, tobacco and narcotics (11.5% vs 10.7% in March), transport (0.6% vs 0.4%), personal care and miscellaneous goods (2.8% vs 2.6%), clothing and footwear (0.8% vs 0.7%), and recreation, sport and culture (1.4% vs 1.2%), while it rebounded in information and communication (0.3% vs -0.1%). Meanwhile, inflation moderated in furniture and household equipment (0.8% vs 1.5%), health (1.6% vs 1.9%), and restaurants and hotels (2.4% vs 2.7%), while remaining steady for education services (at 1.0%). By contrast, prices fell in housing and utilities (-0.4% vs 0.2%). Core consumer prices, excluding energy and fresh produce, rose by 2.1%. On a monthly basis, the CPI fell 0.5%, reversing a 0.2% rise in March.

The annual inflation rate in Senegal accelerated to 1.4% in March 2026 from 0.8% in February, marking the highest reading in three months. Main upward pressure came from a sharp rise in food and non-alcoholic beverages inflation (1.7% vs 0.2% in February). Price growth also picked up for alcohol, tobacco and narcotics (10.7% vs 8.7%), health (1.9% vs 1.5%), transport (0.4% vs 0.2%), and personal care and miscellaneous goods (2.6% vs 2.3%). Meanwhile, inflation softened for housing and utilities (0.2% vs 0.7%), furniture and household equipment (1.5% vs 1.8%), clothing and footwear (0.7% vs 0.8%), and recreation, sport and culture (1.2% vs 1.3%). Information and communication remained in deflation but improved slightly (-0.1% vs -0.4%), while education services and restaurants and hotels were stable at 1.0% and 2.7%, respectively. On a monthly basis, the CPI rose 0.2%, reversing a 0.2% decline in February.