Malawians may be getting a slight reprieve from rising living costs, with new figures showing a further slowdown in the pace of price increases.
Malawi’s year-on-year inflation rate declined to 20.8 percent in July 2026, down from 21.1 percent recorded in June, according to the National Statistical Office (NSO).
The latest Consumer Price Index figures show that inflation fell by 0.3 percentage points during the month.
Food inflation declined to 14.3 percent in July from 14.7 percent in June, while non-food inflation increased slightly to 32.2 percent from 32.1 percent.
However, month-on-month inflation increased significantly to 2.0 percent in July from 0.1 percent in June.
According to the NSO, the increase was largely driven by food prices, with food inflation rising to 2.9 percent in July from a negative 0.3 percent in June. Non-food inflation remained unchanged at 0.7 percent.
The figures further show differences between urban and rural areas.
Urban areas recorded a monthly inflation rate of 1.4 percent, driven by a 2.3 percent increase in food prices and a 0.3 percent rise in non-food prices.
In rural areas, inflation was higher at 2.6 percent, largely due to a 3.0 percent increase in food prices, while non-food prices rose by 2.0 percent.
