Sierra Leone's annual inflation rose to 17.08% in September from a revised 15.75% in August, the highest rate since September 2024, statistics agency Stats SL said in a release posted online on November 9. Housing and utility prices climbed 93.48% from a year earlier and transport costs rose 50.02%. Meanwhile, food prices increased 6.21%. The agency raised August's rate from the 15.66% first published after correcting a compilation error.
Analysis: Inflation has risen every month this year, from 6.38% in January. The rate now sits only 0.17 point below the 17.25% policy rate, by our calculation, after the central bank raised that rate in September. Housing, utilities and transport drive the increase, which points to fuel and power costs. Meanwhile, food inflation stays near 6%. The pressure is concentrated in the capital. Western Area, which includes Freetown, reached 24.87%, the only region above the national rate. The central bank's Monetary Policy Committee is scheduled to meet on December 10, and October's index should show whether the climb continues.
Source: Statistics Sierra Leone (Stats SL), Statistics Sierra Leone, Consumer Price Index Press Release September 2026, September 2026 and August 2026 and September 2024; Bank of Sierra Leone, BSL, Approved Dates for the MPC Meetings and Publication of Statements for 2026 (5 March 2026), Q4 2026; Statistics Sierra Leone (Stats SL), Stats SL, Consumer Price Index Press Release August 2026, August 2026; Bank of Sierra Leone, Bank of Sierra Leone homepage, 'Monetary Policy Rates' table, Q3 2026 MPC (24 September 2026); Bank of Sierra Leone, BSL Monetary Policy Statement, September 2026 (scanned PDF, read by OCR), Q3 2026 MPC (24 September 2026); Statistics Sierra Leone (Stats SL), Stats SL, CPI Press Release August 2026, August 2026