Inflation Rate Reaches 5% in February 2026
The inflation rate has reached 5% in February 2026, an increase of 0.1% compared to January 2026, according to the Consumer Price Index for February 2026, published on Thursday by the National Institute of Statistics (INS).
Food as the Main Driver of Inflation
On a year-over-year basis, the overall increase is mainly due to the acceleration of food prices, which rose by 6.7% in February compared to 5.9% in January. This increase is largely due to the surge in prices of:
- Fruits (+17.7%)
- Lamb meat (+16.3%)
- Fresh fish (+14%)
- Poultry (+12.8%) While food oils decreased by 10.3%.
Clothing and Footwear: A Pause in Price Increases
In contrast, the Clothing and Footwear group experienced a slowdown, with a year-over-year increase of 8.9% compared to 10% the previous month, due in part to winter sales. Specifically:
- Clothing products decreased by 4.8%
- Footwear decreased by 4.7%
- Fabrics decreased by 1%
Manufactured Products and Services
Meanwhile, manufactured products recorded a year-over-year increase of 4.6%, driven by clothing and everyday maintenance products. Services increased by 3.8%, mainly due to the rise in accommodation prices (+11.3%).
Underlying Inflation: A Decline to 4.6%
The INS indicates that underlying inflation, which excludes food and energy products, declined to 4.6% in February, after 4.9% in January. Free products (not regulated) increased by 6.1%, compared to 0.8% for regulated products, while free food products increased by 7.6% compared to only 0.2% for price-regulated food products.
