CPI Falls 0.9 Per Cent In February 2026

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) for February 2026 fell by 0.9 per cent compared with January 2026.

The CPI tracks changes in the general price level of consumer goods and services purchased by private households.

The Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) reported that the main driver of the monthly inflation rate in February 2026 was the category ‘Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages’, which recorded a decline of 2.5 per cent.

“This, as prices for agricultural produce continued to decline, as well as housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels, which tempered the decline, increasing by 0.2 per cent due to high electricity rates, and transport which increased by 0.2 per cent as a result of higher petrol prices,” said Director General, Leesha Delatie-Budair.

She shared the details during STATIN’s quarterly press briefing held at Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel in Kingston on Tuesday (March 31).

Ms. Delatie-Budair further indicated that the point-to-point inflation rate, which measured the average change in prices between February 2025 and February 2026, was 3.9 per cent.

The main factors influencing the point-to-point inflation rate were increases in ‘Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages’ (5.1 per cent), ‘Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas and Other Fuels’ (five per cent), and ‘Personal Care, Social Protection, and Miscellaneous Goods and Services’ (4.1 per cent).