Economy · Headline inflation · Botswana
Botswana’s headline inflation fell to 9.3% y/y in Aug 2026.
9.3% y/y
Aug 2026
Down 0.08 pp from Jul 2026.
Updated 8 Oct 2026
In plain words
9.3% y/y
What it is. Headline inflation tracks the average change in the price of everything a typical household buys, from food and fuel to rent and transport, set against the same month a year earlier. Each item is weighted by how much of household spending it takes, so the figure is an average and any one family's experience depends on what it buys. Because it compares with twelve months earlier, a sharp price jump stays in the figure until a year has passed.
Lower is better. Lower is better because slower price rises protect what wages and savings can buy and make it easier to plan spending. The latest figure is 9.3% y/y for Aug 2026, up 8 percentage points from 1.4% y/y a year earlier. Since Sep 2024 the rate has ranged from a low of 1.1% y/y in Jul 2025 to a high of 10.7% y/y in May 2026. The latest reading therefore sits near the top of that range and a little below the May 2026 peak.
Why it matters. At 9.3% y/y, a household needs pay and pensions to rise by a similar amount just to buy the same basket as a year ago. Firms face faster growth in input costs and must decide how much to pass on to customers. The state faces higher costs for its own purchases and wage bill, and the central bank is likely to keep a close watch on whether the rate comes down from the May 2026 high.
| Period | Headline inflation · Botswana |
|---|---|
| Sep 2024 | 1.5% y/y |
| Oct 2024 | 1.6% y/y |
| Nov 2024 | 1.7% y/y |
| Dec 2024 | 1.7% y/y |
| Jan 2025 | 2.5% y/y |
| Feb 2025 | 2.7% y/y |
| Mar 2025 | 2.8% y/y |
| Apr 2025 | 2.3% y/y |
| May 2025 | 1.9% y/y |
| Jun 2025 | 2% y/y |
| Jul 2025 | 1.1% y/y |
| Aug 2025 | 1.4% y/y |
| Sep 2025 | 3.7% y/y |
| Oct 2025 | 3.9% y/y |
| Nov 2025 | 3.8% y/y |
| Dec 2025 | 3.9% y/y |
| Jan 2026 | 4.1% y/y |
| Feb 2026 | 4% y/y |
| Mar 2026 | 4.2% y/y |
| Apr 2026 | 10.3% y/y |
| May 2026 | 10.7% y/y |
| Jun 2026 | 10.7% y/y |
| Jul 2026 | 9.4% y/y |
| Aug 2026 | 9.3% y/y |
Source: International Monetary Fund, Consumer Price Index (CPI) · Licence: IMF Terms of Use
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Strata-AF™ Data, Headline inflation, Botswana, Aug 2026; source International Monetary Fund, Consumer Price Index (CPI), retrieved 8 Oct 2026; https://data.strata-af.com/economy/inflation/botswana
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Methodology
Consumer price index, all items, change on the same month a year earlier. Unit: % y/y.
Source: International Monetary Fund, Consumer Price Index (CPI) dataset, used under the IMF Terms of Use. Published monthly; the IMF's own source notes apply.