CAIRO, Aug 10 – Egypt’s annual urban consumer inflation accelerated in July, underscoring continued price pressures in the country despite a decline in food and beverage prices during the month.
Urban consumer inflation reached 14.9% year-on-year in July, up from 14.3% in June, according to Egypt’s state statistics agency, CAPMAS. The increase came as price pressures remained elevated across the broader economy, even though some food-related costs eased on a monthly basis.
Nationwide annual inflation stood at 13.0% in July compared with the same month a year earlier. On a monthly basis, the nationwide all-items consumer price index increased by 0.1% from June, while food and beverage prices declined by 0.1%.
Food prices continued to show a more moderate trend in urban areas. Urban food and beverage prices fell 0.6% from the previous month in July, although they remained 8.0% higher than a year earlier.
The inflation picture was somewhat different in rural areas. Annual rural inflation reached 11.2% in July, while rural food and beverage prices increased 7.8% from a year earlier.
The latest figures highlight the persistence of inflationary pressures across Egypt, even as food-price movements have moderated. The divergence between monthly food prices and overall annual inflation also suggests that broader price dynamics continue to influence household costs.
For policymakers, the trajectory of inflation remains an important consideration as Egypt manages economic pressures and seeks to stabilise purchasing power. Continued monitoring of food prices, domestic demand and other components of the consumer basket will be important in determining whether the recent moderation in some prices translates into a broader easing of inflation.
