2 June 2026
Botswana’s annual inflation rate surged to 10.35 in April 2026, according to the latest Consumer Price Index report from Statistics Botswana. The national statistics office recorded a sharp increase of 6.1 percentage points from the March 2026 rate of 4.2 percent.
The Transport group was the largest contributor to the annual inflation rate, accounting for 7.4 percentage points. Miscellaneous Goods & Services added 1.1 percentage points, while Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages contributed 0.9 of a percentage point. Between March and April 2026, inflation rates rose across all regions.
Rural Villages recorded an annual inflation rate of 11.8% in April, up 7.2 percentage points from 4.6% in March. Urban Villages saw an increase of 5.9 percentage points, from 4.2% to 10.1%. Cities & Towns experienced a rise of 5.6 percentage points, from 4.0% to 9.6%.
The national Consumer Price Index climbed 6.7%, from 141.4 in March to 150.9 in April 2026. The Rural Villages index rose 7.8%, from 142.1 to 153.1. Urban Villages and Cities & Towns each recorded a 6.4 percent increase, with Urban Villages moving from 141.8 to 150.9 and Cities & Towns from 140.6 to 149.7.
Four commodity groups recorded monthly changes exceeding 1.0%. The Transport group index surged 21.1%, driven by increases in Operation of Personal Transport (up 33.8%) and Transport Services (up 16.6%). The rise in Operation of Personal Transport was attributed to higher retail pump prices for diesel and petrol, which took effect on 28 March 2025.
Transport Services rose following an adjustment of public transport fares effective 1 April 2026, with mini-bus and shared taxi fares increasing by P2.00 each and long-distance travel fares rising from P0.35 to P0.38 per kilometre on bitumen roads.
The Miscellaneous Goods & Services group index rose 6.8%, from 160.6 in March to 171.5 in April, driven by increases in Insurance (13.0%), Personal Care (1.5%), and Taxes, Licences & Fees (0.8%). The Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco group index increased 1.3%, from 157.6 to 159.7, led by a 4.6% rise in Tobacco and a 0.6% rise in Alcoholic Beverages. The Restaurants & Hotels group index rose 1.0%, from 132.0 to 133.3, due to a 1.2% increase in Restaurants, Cafes & the Like. The All-Tradeables index rose 8.4%, from 151.7 in March to 164.5 in April. Imported Tradeables surged 11.0%, from 151.1 to 167.7. Non-Tradeables increased 3.9%, from 127.3 to 132.3, while Domestic Tradeables rose 1.5%, from 153.5 to 155.7.
The annual inflation rate for All-Tradeables accelerated to 15.0% in April, up 8.5 percentage points from 6.5% in March.
Imported Tradeables inflation surged 11.2 percentage points, from 6.6% to 17.8%, reflecting higher import costs, particularly global fuel prices. Non-Tradeables inflation rose 2.5 percentage points, from 0.6% to 3.1%.
Domestic Tradeables inflation increased 1.0 percentage point, from 6.4% to 7.4%. Core inflation measures also showed increases. The Trimmed Mean Core inflation rate rose 4.0 percentage points, from 4.8% in March to 8.8% in April. The Core Inflation rate excluding administered prices increased 0.3 of a percentage point, from 5.3% to 5.6%.
Source: https://shorturl.at/N0v2K
