South Africa’s annual consumer price inflation has edged higher, rising to 4.4% in August 2026, up from 4.3% in July, according to the latest figures released by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA).
The increase was relatively small, with inflation remaining unchanged on a month-to-month basis. The latest figure was also slightly below the 4.5% expected by economists polled by Reuters.
Stats SA says housing and utilities were among the biggest contributors, recording annual inflation of 5.2% and contributing 1.3 percentage points to the headline figure. Transport recorded inflation of 8.8%, contributing another 1.2 percentage points, while insurance and financial services rose by 5.7%.
For consumers, the latest figures come as food inflation also begins showing signs of picking up. Food and non-alcoholic beverage inflation increased to 1.1% in August from 0.9% in July, marking the first increase in that category in nine months.
Fuel prices, however, provided some relief during August, with petrol prices falling by 2% between July and August. Annual fuel inflation eased to 20.0% from 20.6% in July.
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