The National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR) has reported that prices of goods and services in urban areas increased by 19.5% in October 2026, up from 17.2% recorded in September 2026, compared with the same months in 2025.
This is the highest inflation rate recorded in the past five years, surpassing the previous peak of 18.4% registered in September 2023.
The figures indicate that inflation continues to accelerate, rising by 2.3 percentage points in just one month.
According to the NISR report, the increase was largely driven by higher prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages, which rose by 28.9%. Transport costs increased by 22.4%, prices of restaurants and accommodation services went up by 20.6%, while housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels recorded an increase of 14.2%.
Comparing October and September 2026, prices in urban areas increased by 3.3%, mainly driven by a 7.8% rise in food and non-alcoholic beverage prices.
NISR also reported that prices of goods and services excluding food and energy increased by 11.5% over the 12-month period.
In rural areas, prices rose by 31.3% in October 2026, compared with 22% in September, indicating a sharper increase than that recorded in urban areas.
