The annual headline inflation rate has accelerated to 4.1%, marking a notable increase from the 3.5% inflation rate recorded over the preceding 12-month period ending in May 2025, according to the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA)
Monthly, the overall price level increased by 1.2 percent, reflecting a slight uptick from the 1.1 % month-on-month growth documented in April 2026.
Meanwhile, core inflation showed a different trajectory, falling below the headline figure to settle at 3.1 percent for the month under review.
A geographic breakdown of the data highlights distinct regional variations across the country’s three statistical zones. Zone 2, which comprises the Khomas region, experienced the most significant price pressures, recording the highest annual inflation rate in the country at 5.4 %.
Zone 3, covering the //Kharas, Erongo, Hardap, and Omaheke regions, followed with an annual inflation rate of 3.6%.
The lowest annual inflation rate was observed in Zone 1, which encompasses the Kavango East, Kavango West, Kunene, Ohangwena, Omusati, Oshana, Oshikoto, Otjozondjupa, and Zambezi regions, where the rate stood at 3.2%
The agency’s analysis of average retail prices for select essential commodities during May 2026 further underscores these zonal disparities. In the food sector, consumers in Zone 3 faced the highest cost for a 5kg bag of Maize Meal, paying an average of N$73.53, followed by Zone 1 at N$70.14, while Zone 2 residents enjoyed the lowest average price at N$68.22.
Conversely, fuel price metrics showed a different distribution, with Zone 1 consumers paying the highest average price for diesel at N$28.94 per litre. Zone 3 recorded the second-highest diesel cost at N$28.89 per litre, while Zone 2 again recorded the lowest marketplace pricing at N$28.75 per litre.
