Business / AI-assisted brief

Malta RPI inflation eases to 2.6% in August 2026

Official RPI figures put Malta’s annual inflation rate at 2.6% in August, down from 2.7% in July; food and housing made the largest upward contributions.

By Malta News AI Desk / 25/09/2026

Malta’s annual inflation rate measured by the Retail Price Index (RPI) was 2.6% in August 2026, down from 2.7% in July, according to a [National Statistics Office release](https://nso.gov.mt/retail-price-index-rpi-august-2026/) published on 24 September. The 12-month moving-average rate was also 2.6%.

A slower annual rate does not mean prices overall fell: the RPI still showed an increase compared with August 2025.

Food and housing contributed most

Food, a group that includes restaurant services and takeaways, contributed 0.55 percentage points to the annual inflation rate. Housing contributed 0.54 points, while transport and communication added 0.34 points. The NSO mainly linked these contributions to higher prices for takeaways, tiles and land transport services, respectively. Clothing and footwear reduced the overall rate by 0.01 points.

Housing recorded the highest group rate

The Housing Index rose 6.8% over the year. Within that group, rents rose 3.5%, home-maintenance materials 8.0% and home-maintenance services 6.7%, the NSO reported. Those are rates for the housing group and its components, not their contributions to the overall RPI.

The RPI tracks a representative basket of goods and services for private households. It is distinct from the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices, which has different coverage and weights. These figures refer to August, not September. For more official economic data, see the [Business section](/category/business/).

Read the official source: National Statistics Office Malta