The year on year, inflation rate (annual percentage change) in the COMESA region as measured by the Harmonized Consumer Price Index (HCPI-COMESA) stood at 96.7% for the month of January 2021, up from 94.1% registered in January 2020. A year earlier, the rate was 31.6%.

It means that the prices of goods and services as measured by HCPI-COMESA increased by an average of (+96.7%) between January 2020 and January 2021. Using a particular or common currency, an item that cost an average of 100.00 cents in January 2020 increased to 196.70 cents in January 2021.

The month on month inflation rate in the COMESA region as measured by HCPI-COMESA stood at 2.0% for the month of January 2021, down from 5.1% registered in Dec 2020. It was 0.7% in January 2020.

HCPI-COMESA comprises of twelve divisions of expenditure. These divisions registered the following average price changes during the month of January 2021 compared with January 2020.

Food & Non-alcoholic Beverages (+97.8%); Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco (+61.9%); Clothing and Footwear (+137.1%); Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas and Other Fuels (+15.8%); Furnishings, Household Equipment and Routine Household Maintenance (+117.1%); Health (+30.9%); Transport (+360.9%); Communication (+109.2%); Recreation and Culture (+237.0%); Education(+0.8%); Restaurants and Hotels (+108.5%); and Miscellaneous Goods and Services (+137.0%)

As at Jan 2021, the participating Member States that contribute to HCPI-COMESA registered the following rates of total inflation in January 2021 compared to January 2020: Burundi (-2.2%); Democratic Republic of Congo(+16.0%); Djibouti(+0.3%); Egypt(+5.5%); Eswatini (+4.3%); Ethiopia(+17.1%); Kenya(+7.9%); Madagascar(+7.5%); Malawi(+7.7%); Mauritius(+0.5%); Rwanda(+1.7%); Seychelles(+2.8%); Sudan(+254.9%); Tunisia(+5.2%); Uganda(+3.7%); Zambia(+25.6%); and Zimbabwe(+364.3%).