Sierra Leone’s headline inflation rose to 15.7% y/y in Aug 2026.

Lower is better. Lower is better because slower price rises protect the buying power of wages and savings, and make it easier for firms to plan. The latest figure, 15.7% y/y for Aug 2026, is well above the 5.6% y/y recorded a year earlier, a rise of 10.1 percentage points. Since Sep 2024 the rate has ranged from a low of 4% y/y in Oct 2025 to a high of 21% y/y in Sep 2024. The current reading therefore sits closer to the top of that range than to the bottom, and most of the earlier fall has been reversed.

Why it matters. At 15.7% y/y, prices for everyday items such as food, transport and rent are climbing quickly, and wages that stay flat buy less each month. Small traders and firms that import goods face higher costs and may pass them on to customers. For the state, faster inflation raises the cost of public purchases and puts pressure on the central bank to keep policy tight, which makes borrowing dearer.