St John’s Antigua, September 9, 2026. The Statistics Division, under the Ministry of Finance and Corporate Governance releases the CPI for Jul 2026
Year-on-Year Analysis
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 4.4%, reflecting a broader increase in the cost of living. The All Items Less Food and Energy index rose from
128.77 to 133.99, an increase of about 4.1%. The Energy index increased 20.6% for the twelve months ending July 2026. Conversely,The Food and
Non-Alcoholic Beverages index declined by 0.4% over the last year.
The Food index fell slightly (-0.8%) over the twelve months ending July 2026. The data indicates that food prices were generally declining overall, but movement was uneven across categories. Price decreases were recorded in some key products, particularly Fruit (-13.8%) and Meat and Meat Products (-5.0%), while Oil and Fats (+7.7%) and Food Products N.E.C. (+2.3%) saw notable increases.
The All-Items Less Food and Energy index increased by 4.1%. The index for Communication recorded the largest increase of 23.1%, making it the
most significant upward movement. The index for Clothing and Footwear rose 6.6%, while Restaurants and Hotels index rose by 6.5%. The index for
Furnishings and Household Equipment and Routine Household Maintenance increased moderately by 2.8%.
The index for Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas and Other Fuels increased by 7.6%. The Electricity index increased by 42.9%, and Actual Rentals for
Housing rose by 2.0%, which is particularly important because housing and utilities are essential expenses. The Energy index increased 20.6% over
the past twelve months.
Month-to-Month Price Changes
The monthly Consumer Price Index increased 2.1% in July 2026. The Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages Index declined 1.0% over the month of June 2026.
The Food index declined by 1.4% in July after a marginal increase of 0.1% in June. The Fish and Seafood decreased by 5.8% over the month. Within
this group, Fresh Chilled or Frozen Fish and Seafood declined by 32.6%. The index for Fruit experienced a 4.0% decline, and Vegetable prices fell
2.1%. Conversely, the index for Milk, Cheese and Eggs increased by 4.7%, largely due to increases in Preserved and Other Milk Products. Other
notable increases were Sugar, Jams, Honey, Chocolate, and Confectionery (+3.6%) and Meat and Meat Products (+1.3%).
The index for All Items Less Food and Energy rose 3.1% in July 2026. The index for Communication recorded the largest increase of 21.7%. The
index for Clothing and Footwear also showed a significant contribution with an increase of 5.4%. Clothing Index alone increased 5.1%, while
Footwear Index increased 6.5%.The index for Furnishings, Household Equipment and Routine Household Maintenance increased by 2.7%, with the
indexes for Household textiles, Glassware, Tableware and Household Utensils contributing to this increase.
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Methodology
What is the consumer price index (CPI) measuring and how is it done?
The All Items Consumer Price Index (CPI) is the main measure of what is commonly called inflation, or headline inflation. It measures the change in
prices, on average, from month to month, and from year to year of the goods and services bought by most households.
Prices are collected monthly and quarterly from supermarkets and other suppliers of goods and services. The pattern of household expenditure on these goods and services is derived from a regular household budget (or expenditure) survey (HBS). The prices and spending patterns (known as weights) are then combined to calculate the price indices for groups of goods and services and for the All Items index. These indices are based on expenditure patterns in 2006.
The All Items (or overall) index, with all of its twelve (12) component indices, is published each month.
For a detailed account of the methodology used in calculating the CPI, please call the National Bureau of Statistics.