Freetown, Sierra Leone – Sierra Leone’s annual inflation rate rose to 10.24% in March 2026, up by 2.19 percentage points from 8.05% recorded in February 2026, according to the latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) report released by Statistics Sierra Leone (Stats SL).
This marks the first time since March 2025 that the country’s headline inflation has returned to double digits. The monthly inflation rate, however, eased slightly to 2.28% in March, down by 0.23 percentage points from 2.51% in February.
Key Drivers of the Increase
The upward pressure on prices was primarily driven by two major categories:
– Transport: The inflation rate for this group surged sharply from 9.10% in February to 22.27% in March, an increase of 13.17 percentage points year-on-year. Transport carries a weight of 8.60% in the CPI basket.
– Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels: This essential category saw inflation jump from 35.89% in February to 45.02% in March, rising by 9.13 percentage points. It holds a weight of 8.90% in the index.
These two sectors together exerted significant pressure on the overall CPI, reflecting higher costs for fuel, transportation services, and utilities that directly impact household budgets.
Downward Movers Offering Some Relief
On the positive side, price pressures eased in the following categories:
– Furnishings, household equipment and routine household maintenance: Inflation in this group declined from 6.64% in February to 2.72% in March (weight: 5.60%).
– Alcoholic beverages, tobacco and narcotics: This category recorded a further drop, moving from -0.40% in February to -1.83% in March, representing a deflationary trend.
Regional Variations
Inflation trends varied across the country’s regions:
Regions with increases (Year-on-Year):
– Western Area: Rose sharply from 9.61% in February to **14.63%** in March.
– Southern Region: Increased from 2.65% to 2.88%.
– Northern Region: Climbed from 16.35% to 17.33%.
Regions with declines:
– Eastern Region: Fell from 4.67% to 2.91%.
– North-West Region: Declined from 3.96% to 3.64%.
The national inflation rate of 10.24% was higher than the estimates for most regions, except for the Western and Northern regions.
Takeaways from Stats SL
According to the report, six out of the twelve COICOP (Classification of Individual Consumption by Purpose) divisions recorded inflation increases in March 2026. Three regions posted single-digit inflation rates, while two regions reported double-digit figures.
The national CPI is calculated using price data collected from 440 items across six markets in Freetown and three markets each in Bo, Kenema, Makeni, Kono, and Port Loko and Kambia. The Modified Laspeyres formula is used to compute the indices.
This latest data comes at a time when rising living costs in key essential sectors continue to challenge consumers and remain a critical concern for policymakers and economic planners in Sierra Leone.
Source: Statistics Sierra Leone (Stats SL) – March 2026 Consumer Price Index Report, released 15th April 2026.
The full report and detailed methodology are available on the Stats SL website: www.statistics.sl.
