Photo: Contributed
By: Peneyambeko Jonas
According to the average price increases for 2026, consumers have been experiencing upward price movements, with sharp increases in certain products.
This is according to the October 2026 consumer price index released this week by the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA).
The index tracks the rate at which prices are moving on an annual basis and monthly basis.
The overall inflation rate for October 2026 stood at 5.6 percent, compared to 3.6 percent recorded in October 2025. Monthly, inflation was recorded at 0.7%, up from 0.4% in the preceding month, according to the Index.
Highlight that prices of goods and services that are mostly consumed by households are increasing faster, eroding the purchasing power of the dollar.
Zooming in, the prices of goods are increasing at a faster rate compared to services at 6.3% compared to 12 months ago.
The increasing rate shows that for those with a constant income, they are no longer buying the same amount of goods every month.
Or every two months, they have to cut down on what they consume unless they supplement their income.
Highlighting the cost of living in the country.
The Statistics Agency has also explicitly confirmed the rising cost of living after releasing the October 2026 inflation figures.
PAIN SOURCE
Almost everything (price) in the basic consumption basket is increasing at a faster rate; however, some are going faster and draining pockets.
At the end of October 2026, transport prices contributed 2.5 percentage points to the overall inflation rate.
The transport category accounts for 14.3% of the consumer basket, meaning is one of the services households spend their money on and it prices/cost going up it is taking more of their income.
This category prices/cost have increased at the rate of 16.5 percent during October 2026, compared to 2.1% observed in the same month of the preceding year.
The increase in the annual inflation rate for this division was reflected in the subcomponents of Operation of Personal Transport Equipment (from 1.7% to 22.7%) and Public Transportation Services (from 0.8% to 15.0%).
With many Namibians taking up recreational marathons and the cost of transport rising faster, running to work is suggested as an alternative.
Food and non-alcoholic beverages, whose weight of the NCPI basket is 16.5 percent, recorded an annual inflation rate of 4.8% in October 2026, a slight increase compared to 4.6% observed in October 2025.
However, zooming I food inflation shows that Namibian have to dig more in their pockets for fruits as inflation rate for fruits increased to 13.5 percent in October 2026, up from 11.2% last year.
The growth was mainly attributed to price increases for Bananas (from 3.0% to 28.8%), Avocados (from 9.2% to 21.4%), and Pears (from 5.6% to 9.2%).
The same thing for vegetables as the annual inflation rate for vegetables, including potatoes and other tubers, rose to 10.5% in October 2026 compared to 5.7% witnessed in October 2025.
The increases were mainly reflected in the price levels of sweet potatoes (from -10.3% to 17.1%), onions (from 8.9% to 27.3%), Beans (fresh) (from -11.1% to 5.5%), and potatoes (from -1.3% to 10.6%).
The slogan “eat only when you are about to faint” has been used to describe expenditure cuts on food.
