Sierra Leone's core inflation, a central bank estimate that excludes food and energy, rose to 25.61% in August 2026 from 21.89% in June and 17.32% in March, the Bank of Sierra Leone said in its September monetary policy report, published on October 30. Headline consumer price inflation was 15.66% in August, 9.95 points lower.
Analysis: The wide gap indicates substantial price pressure outside food and energy. The central bank cited higher costs in housing, clothing, restaurants, personal services, alcohol and tobacco, while better domestic food production helped restrain headline inflation. It now expects the headline rate to reach the low-20% range by year-end, above the IMF's October projection of 19%. Persistently high underlying inflation could influence wage negotiations and business pricing into 2027. September consumer price figures had not appeared by October 31, and the central bank's calendar sets its next rate-setting meeting for December 10.
Source: Bank of Sierra Leone, Bank of Sierra Leone, Monetary Policy Report, September 2026, August 2026 and June 2026 and March 2026 and End-2026 (forecast); Statistics Sierra Leone (Stats SL), Stats SL, Consumer Price Index Press Release August 2026, August 2026; International Monetary Fund, IMF World Economic Outlook, October 2026 (DataMapper), December 2026