INFLATION RATE DROPS TO A SINGLE DIGIT IN JANUARY 2026.
Zambia has recorded a single-digit annual inflation rate at 9.4 percent for January 2026 from 11.2 percent recorded in December 2025.
This was announced on Tuesday 28th January 2026 during the monthly media briefing for the month of January. Zambia Statistics Agency Acting Statistician General Mrs. Sheila Mudenda said the slowdown in the annual inflation rate was mainly attributed to price movements in both food and non-food items. This development indicates a slowdown in rate at which prices changed for both food and non-food items.
The Acting Statistician General also revealed that Annual food inflation for January 2026 was recorded at 10.9 percent compared to 12.9 percent in December 2025. This means on average prices of food items increased by 10.9 percent between January 2025 and January 2026. This was mainly attributed to price movements in prices of food items such as Cereals (Breakfast Mealie meal, Roller mealie meal, Maize grain, Rice imported, Wheat Plain Household Flour); Fruit (Oranges, Lemons, Apples, Pineapples); Vegetables (Pumpkin Leaves, Sweet Potato Leaves,Okra, Tomatoes, Cucumber, Impwa, Green pepper, Maize cobs) and; Cooking oil.
Provincial annual inflation rates decreased for all ten (10) provinces. However, Lusaka and Western provinces recorded the highest annual inflation rates at 12.2 percent each where as Luapula province recorded the lowest at 4.4 percent.
Additionally, the country recorded a trade surplus of K1.0 billion in December 2025 compared to the surplus of K0.6 billion recorded in November 2025 Exports mainly comprising domestically produced goods, increased by 3.9 percent from K28.1 billion in November 2025 to K29.2 billion in December 2025. This was mainly on account of increases in export earnings from Intermediate goods by 3.4 percent, Raw materials by 15.8 percent and Capital goods by 0.7 percent.
Imports increased by 7.3 percent from K29.6 billion in November 2025 to K27.5 billion in December 2025. This was mainly as a result of increases in import bills of Capital goods by 20.1 percent, Intermediate goods by 8.5 percent and Raw materials by 14.9 percent
For more details on the January 2026 Monthly Dissemination, kindly visit our website at www.zamstats.gov.zm.
