Egypt’s annual urban headline inflation accelerated to 13.4% in February 2026, up from 11.9% in January, driven by seasonal rises in food and non-food prices. Food inflation reached 4.6%, while non-food inflation climbed to 19.3%.
The Central Bank of Egypt reported that annual urban headline inflation reached 13.4% in February 2026, up from 11.9% in January, fueled by seasonal increases in food and non-food prices. Food inflation rose to 4.6% from 1.9%, driven mainly by higher poultry and fresh vegetable prices amid Ramadan demand, while non-food inflation climbed to 19.3% from 18.6%, attributed to an 18.7% rise in education fees and an 8% increase in related goods and services. Monthly urban headline inflation accelerated to 2.8% from 1.2% in January, propelled by higher food prices, rents up 2.9%, education costs, and a 3.2% tobacco price hike contributing 0.19 percentage points. Annual core inflation increased to 12.7% from 11.2%, with monthly core at 3.0% from 1.2%. Rural headline inflation edged up to 9.7% from 8.4%, lifting nationwide inflation to 11.5% from 10.1%. Poultry prices surged 18.3% monthly, exceeding the historical February range of 5-9% and contributing 0.83 percentage points, while fresh vegetables rose 5.6%.
