Inflation edges up to 23%

Malawi’s year-on-year inflation as measured by consumer price index (CPI) rose by 0.8 percentage points to 23 percent in August 2015 from 22.2 percent the month before, the National Statistical Office (NSO) has said.

The Zomba-based NSO has attributed the increase to “general price increase during the period as compared to the same period last year” when inflation was at 24.5 percent.

Figures show that food inflation increased to 26.8 percent from 25.3 percent while non-food inflation increased to 19.9 percent from 19.6 percent.

The urban and rural rates stand at 19.5 percent and 26.7 percent respectively, NSO said, adding that overall, food inflation stands at 26.8 percent from 25.3 percent in July 2015.

Malawi’s inflation is mainly driven by the availability of food, particularly maize, which accounts for about 50.2 percent of the CPI, which measures changes in the price level of goods and services.