No Respite on Tunisia’s Inflation Front: Food Prices Drive October 2026 Increase

Tunisia’s inflation rate held steady at 5.6% in October 2026, driven by a renewed rise in food prices, according to data released on Thursday, November 5, by the National Institute of Statistics (INS).

Food and Beverages Remain Under Significant Price Pressure

The "Food and Beverages" category recorded an annual increase of 8.5%, up from 8.4% in September, indicating persistent price tensions. Fresh fruits saw the sharpest rise at +20%, followed by:

Ovine meat: +14.7%
Poultry: +14.5%
Beef: +13%
Fresh vegetables: +12.9%
Fresh fish: +8.9%

Notably, edible oils bucked the trend, with prices falling by 4.8%.

Manufactured Goods and Services Also See Price Increases

Prices for manufactured goods rose by 4.8% year-on-year. This increase was largely driven by:

Clothing and footwear: +9.1%
Household maintenance products: +4.8%

In the services sector, prices increased by 4.1%, primarily due to a 14.1% rise in accommodation rates. However, this trend was slightly moderated by a slowdown in certain activities:

Restaurants and hotels: Prices rose by 6.2%, down from 6.5% in September.
Leisure and culture: Prices increased by 3.6%, compared to 3.9% in September.

Core Inflation Shows Slight Improvement, But Disparities Persist

Core inflation eased slightly to 4.8% in October, down from 4.9% the previous month. However, this limited decrease masks significant disparities between freely priced and regulated goods.

Freely priced goods: Prices rose by 6.8% over the past year.
Regulated goods: Prices increased by only 1.2%.

The contrast is even more pronounced in the food sector:

Freely priced food items: +9.6%
Administered price food items: +0.3%

This gap highlights the moderating role of price controls on certain essential goods.

Month-on-Month Analysis: Clothing Drives October’s 0.7% Increase

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose by 0.7% from September to October. This monthly increase was primarily driven by a 6.3% jump in the "Clothing and Footwear" category, following the end of summer sales.

Clothing: +6.2%
Footwear: +7.4%
Fabrics: +1.5%
Miscellaneous accessories: +2%

Food prices increased by 0.2% in October. Fresh fruits recorded the highest monthly gain (+3%), followed by fresh vegetables (+1.3%) and eggs (+0.9%). Conversely, prices fell for:

Poultry: -2.1%
Lamb: -1.2%
Fish: -1%

Outlook: Disinflation Remains Challenging

In this context, consolidating disinflation remains difficult. The continued rise in food prices continues to weigh on household spending and erode purchasing power. With annual food inflation approaching 9%, food remains a major source of pressure on the cost of living, while authorities have limited room for maneuver to address these challenges.