Egypt’s Annual Inflation Eases to 12.0% in October as Monthly Price Growth Slows to 0.6%
Egypt’s annual inflation eased to 12.0% in October from 12.8% in September, the statistics agency said, as the monthly rise in prices slowed sharply after September’s food-driven jump.
For Egyptian households, October reverses September’s small uptick and puts the national rate back below its August level of 12.7%. In The Edge’s reading, much of the step down comes from a large price rise in October 2025 dropping out of the annual comparison, so it is partly arithmetic; the monthly reading, which carries no such effect, still shows prices rising far more slowly than in September.
Housing leads the annual slowdown as food and clothing ease
Annual inflation in housing, water, electricity, gas and fuel eased to 24.1% in October from 29.6% in September, the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics reported. That 5.5 point drop was the largest move of any of the 12 divisions in the index.
The division’s prices rose 0.6% in the month. On The Edge’s calculation from the published rates, the same division had risen 5.1% in October 2025, and that rise falling out of the comparison explains the size of the step.
Actual rents were still 27.7% higher than a year earlier, and electricity, gas and other fuels 22.8% higher. Housing remains the division with the highest annual rate, ahead of transport and education.
Food and beverages eased to 7.5% from 7.9%. The biggest change inside the division came from vegetables, whose annual rate fell to 12.9% from 30.9%. Vegetable prices dropped 2.6% in the month.
Fruit also got cheaper in October, down 2.9% on September. Over the year, however, annual fruit inflation quickened to 16.4% from 7.2%. Meat and poultry rose to 9.3% from 6.2%.
Dairy, cheese and eggs were still 0.8% cheaper than in October 2025. Clothing and footwear eased to 12.0% from 12.7%. Miscellaneous goods and services slowed to 10.2% from 10.8%.
Egypt’s annual inflation by division
| Division | Sep (%) | Oct (%) | Change (pts) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All items | 12.8 | 12.0 | -0.8 |
| Housing, water, electricity, gas, fuel | 29.6 | 24.1 | -5.5 |
| Clothing and footwear | 12.7 | 12.0 | -0.7 |
| Misc. goods and services | 10.8 | 10.2 | -0.6 |
| Food and beverages | 7.9 | 7.5 | -0.4 |
| Alcoholic beverages and tobacco | 6.9 | 6.7 | -0.2 |
| Education | 20.0 | 20.0 | 0.0 |
| Telecoms | 10.4 | 10.5 | +0.1 |
| Health care | 5.2 | 5.4 | +0.2 |
| Restaurants and hotels | 12.8 | 13.2 | +0.4 |
| Furniture and household equipment | 15.1 | 15.6 | +0.5 |
| Culture and recreation | 15.4 | 16.0 | +0.6 |
| Transport | 21.3 | 22.3 | +1.0 |
Annual rates for the whole country as published in the agency’s September and October 2026 releases; the change in percentage points is The Edge’s calculation.
Five divisions ease while transport moves up
Five divisions eased in October and 6 quickened, with education unchanged. Housing led the easing, and its 5.5 point drop dwarfed every other move in the table. Clothing, miscellaneous goods, food and tobacco each eased by 0.7 points or less.
Transport quickened to 22.3% from 21.3%, the largest increase among the divisions. Its prices rose 0.9% in the month, after 0.1% in September.
Prices for operating private transport rose 2.8% in the month, for vehicle purchases 0.6% and for transport services 0.1%. Over the year, transport services were 24.4% dearer and vehicle purchases 11.2%.
The published rates imply little monthly price change in transport in October 2025, so this October’s increase passed almost fully into the annual rate.
Culture and recreation rose to 16.0% from 15.4%. Organised tours rose 1.0% in the month, the largest increase among the division’s groups. Restaurants and hotels quickened to 13.2% from 12.8%. Furniture and household equipment moved up to 15.6% from 15.1%.
Monthly price growth slows to 0.6%
The headline consumer price index for the whole country rose 0.6% in October to 296.1 points. In September it had risen 1.5% to 294.2 points. Food prices jumped 3.2% that month, led by vegetables.
Food rose 0.8% in October. Meat and poultry climbed 3.2% and dairy, cheese and eggs 2.5%, while falls in fruit and vegetables offset part of the increase.
None of the 10 divisions with a published monthly change rose by more than 0.9%. Furniture and household equipment and transport shared that top rate, and alcoholic beverages and tobacco and health care rose least, by 0.4% each.
Monthly price change by division (in %)
| Division | September | October |
|---|---|---|
| Food and beverages | 3.2 | 0.8 |
| Furniture and household | 1.2 | 0.9 |
| Transport | 0.1 | 0.9 |
| Housing and utilities | 0.8 | 0.6 |
| Culture and recreation | 0.4 | 0.6 |
| Restaurants and hotels | 0.3 | 0.6 |
| Clothing and footwear | 0.8 | 0.5 |
| Misc. goods and services | 0.7 | 0.5 |
| Alcoholic beverages, tobacco | 0.1 | 0.4 |
| Health care | 0.4 | 0.4 |
Changes on the previous month for the whole country as published in the agency’s September and October 2026 releases; communications and education are not listed with a monthly change in either release.
Ahmed Rostom, Minister of Planning and Economic Development, presented the figures to the government meeting chaired by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, the Cabinet said. His report noted that monthly inflation peaked at 3.3% in March and has since slowed by 2.7 percentage points.
The annual comparison also flattered October. On The Edge’s calculation, the published rates imply a monthly rise of 1.4% in October 2025, against 0.6% this October. That gap is why the annual rate fell by almost a full point.
The central bank’s measure comes next
The Central Bank of Egypt raised its key rates by 100 basis points on 29 October, a decision set out on our site that day. Its overnight deposit rate of 20.0% now sits 8.0 percentage points above the national inflation rate.
The central bank aims to bring inflation to its target of 7%, plus or minus 2 percentage points, on average in the fourth quarter of 2027. Its inflation page still shows September readings, an urban headline rate of 13.9% and core inflation of 14.1%, and has not yet posted October’s.
Its Monetary Policy Committee said risks had become more pronounced since its previous meeting. It named spillovers from the regional conflict to energy and commodity prices, which feed imported inflation, tighter global financial conditions, and a higher than expected pass-through of domestic fiscal consolidation measures.
What to watch:
The Monetary Policy Committee next meets on 17 December 2026, according to its published meeting schedule.
Figures are from the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics’ consumer price releases for October 2026 (issued 5 November 2026) and September 2026 (issued 10 October 2026), the Cabinet of Egypt’s statement of 5 November 2026 on the planning minister’s report, and the Central Bank of Egypt’s Monetary Policy Committee press release of 29 October 2026, its meeting schedule and its inflation page; changes in points, counts, the implied October 2025 monthly rates and the rate gap not attributed to a source are The Edge’s calculations from the published figures.
Sources: Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics, Cabinet of Egypt, Central Bank of Egypt, The Edge.
