Zambia has recorded a single-digit annual inflation rate in the first month of 2026, with figures from the Zambia Statistics Agency (ZamStats) showing that inflation slowed to 9.4 percent in January, down from 11.2 percent in December 2025.
The development marks a significant milestone at the start of the year, as the country returns to single-digit inflation, signalling easing price pressures in the economy.
According to ZamStats Acting Statistician General Sheila Mudenda, the decline in inflation was driven by favourable price movements in both food and non-food items.
Annual food inflation reduced to 10.9 percent in January from 12.9 percent in December. This was largely attributed to price movements in key cereals such as breakfast mealie meal, roller meal, maize grain, and imported rice.
Prices of other food items including fruits like oranges, apples, and pineapples, as well as vegetables such as pumpkin leaves, okra, tomatoes, maize cobs, and cooking oil, also contributed to the slowdown in food inflation.
Meanwhile, non-food inflation dropped to 7.3 percent from 8.7 percent the previous month, mainly due to downward price movements in diesel and petrol.
The return to single-digit inflation is seen as an important indicator of improving price stability, particularly for essential commodities and fuel, which have a direct impact on the cost of living for households and the cost of doing business.
By Rachel Mumba
