Mbabane – Eswatini’s headline inflation rate rose slightly to 2.0% in April 2026, up from 1.6% recorded in March 2026, according to the Consumer Price Index report released by the Central Statistical Office on 15 May 2026.
While the figure represents a month-on-month increase, it remains well below the 3.3% recorded in April 2025, pointing to an overall easing of price pressures over the past year.
Housing and utilities was the biggest driver of the April reading, contributing 1.3 percentage points to the headline rate after jumping from 0.0% in March to 3.9% in April. The increase was driven by rising costs in liquid fuels, electricity, and water supply. Electricity alone recorded a 15.1% annual increase, while liquid fuels surged by 23.3% year on year. 
Transport added another 0.3 percentage points to the headline rate, climbing from negative 0.2% in March to 2.4% in April, largely on the back of higher fuel and lubricant costs. Clothing and footwear also contributed 0.3 percentage points, with an annual increase of 5.2%.
On the goods side, inflation came in at 2.6%, while services inflation was lower at 1.1%.
Food and non-alcoholic beverages offered some relief, falling to negative 0.9% from 3.6% in April 2025. The drop was driven by negative growth in bread and cereals as well as vegetables, with slower price increases also recorded for non-alcoholic beverages, sugar, jam, honey, chocolate and confectionery, and milk, cheese and eggs.
Alcohol beverages, tobacco and narcotics eased sharply to 4.4% from 10.7% in April 2025, owing to slower growth in beer and wine. Health inflation also cooled significantly, dropping from 4.6% to just 0.2%, as medical services recorded zero growth and pharmaceutical products saw slower price increases.
The month-on-month inflation rate for April stood at 1.2%, which is 1.3 percentage points higher than the negative 0.1% recorded in March 2026.
The next CPI report is due for release on 15 June 2026.
