Zambia's Inflation Falls to 6.2%, an Eight-Year Low, as Household Costs Rise K747.88 in Six Months, JCTR Data Shows

LUSAKA, 31 August 2026. Zambia's annual inflation rate eased to 6.2% in August, down from 6.5% in July, the Zambia Statistics Agency said, continuing a decline from 11.2% in December 2025. Bloomberg reported that the figure marks an eight-year low, aided by a strengthening Kwacha. Food inflation slowed to 6.0% from 6.4% in July, and non-food inflation eased to 6.6% from 6.7%, the statistics agency said. It attributed the movement to falling prices for cereals, sugar, cooking oil and dried beans, as well as selected fuels, lubricants and vehicle purchases. Seven of Zambia's ten provinces recorded declining inflation in August, while Luapula and Northern provinces saw increases. Over the same broad period, a separate measure of household costs moved in the other direction. The Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection's Basic Needs and Nutrition Basket, which tracks what a family of five in Lusaka needs to cover food and essential non-food items, rose from K11,365.00 in January to K12,112.88 in June, an increase of K747.88, or 6.6%. JCTR said charcoal, a primary cooking fuel for many Lusaka households, rose from K725.00 to K900.00 per 90kg bag over the six months. Kapenta rose from K434.56 to K497.74 per kilogram. Vegetables, mealie meal, beans and eggs were also cited as contributors to the increase. Michael Kasanda, JCTR's Social and Economic Development Programme Officer, said the gap between the two sets of numbers reflects a disconnect between the national economy and household budgets. "Improvements in the macroeconomic environment have not reflected at the household level," Kasanda said. The two figures are not measuring exactly the same thing. The statistics agency's inflation rate tracks a national consumer price index across a wide basket of goods and services; JCTR's basket is built specifically around what a Lusaka family needs for food and other essentials each month, and it was last updated for June, two months before the agency's August figure. Eve