Economy · Headline inflation · Rwanda
Rwanda’s headline inflation rose to 20% y/y in Sep 2026.
20% y/y
Sep 2026
Up 4.2 pp from Aug 2026.
Updated 15 Oct 2026
In plain words
20% y/y
What it is. Headline inflation tracks the price of a broad basket of goods and services that households buy, and compares the current month with the same month a year earlier. Because it is an average across all items, a household whose spending differs from the typical basket can face a different rate. The measure is a consumer price index, so it covers what households pay and leaves out asset prices and what firms pay each other.
Lower is better. Lower is better because faster price rises cut what each unit of income can buy and erode savings and fixed incomes. The latest figure, for Sep 2026, is 20% y/y, up from 6.2% y/y in Sep 2025, a rise of 13.8 percentage points over the year. Since Oct 2024 the range has run from a low of 0.52% y/y in Oct 2024 to the current 20% y/y, so the latest reading is the highest in that span.
Why it matters. Households in Rwanda are paying much more than a year earlier for the same goods and services, which squeezes budgets, especially for people on fixed incomes or with little savings. Firms face rising input costs and find it harder to set prices and plan ahead. The state and the central bank face pressure to respond, and the next monthly reading will show whether the rate keeps climbing from 20% y/y.
| Period | Headline inflation · Rwanda |
|---|---|
| Oct 2024 | 0.52% y/y |
| Nov 2024 | 3.4% y/y |
| Dec 2024 | 6.4% y/y |
| Jan 2025 | 5.7% y/y |
| Feb 2025 | 3.8% y/y |
| Mar 2025 | 4.9% y/y |
| Apr 2025 | 6.6% y/y |
| May 2025 | 7.7% y/y |
| Jun 2025 | 8.3% y/y |
| Jul 2025 | 7.2% y/y |
| Aug 2025 | 6.4% y/y |
| Sep 2025 | 6.2% y/y |
| Oct 2025 | 5.1% y/y |
| Nov 2025 | 4.1% y/y |
| Dec 2025 | 5.2% y/y |
| Jan 2026 | 7.5% y/y |
| Feb 2026 | 7.9% y/y |
| Mar 2026 | 7.7% y/y |
| Apr 2026 | 11.5% y/y |
| May 2026 | 12.3% y/y |
| Jun 2026 | 12.7% y/y |
| Jul 2026 | 13.8% y/y |
| Aug 2026 | 15.9% y/y |
| Sep 2026 | 20% y/y |
Source: International Monetary Fund, Consumer Price Index (CPI) · Licence: IMF Terms of Use
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Strata-AF™ Data, Headline inflation, Rwanda, Sep 2026; source International Monetary Fund, Consumer Price Index (CPI), retrieved 15 Oct 2026; https://data.strata-af.com/economy/inflation/rwanda
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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.