Amman, June 16 (Petra)– The Department of Statistics (DoS) has
released its monthly Consumer Price Index (CPI) report for May 2026,
showing that the inflation rate during the first five months of the
year stood at 1.88 percent, down from 1.97 percent recorded during
the same period in 2025.

In May 2026 alone, the annual inflation rate reached 2.83 percent,
compared with 1.98 percent in May 2025. The CPI also increased by
0.55 percent compared with April 2026.

According to the report, inflation during the first five months of
2026 was primarily driven by higher rental costs, which contributed
0.68 percentage points to the overall rate. Other major contributors
included oils and fats (0.25 percentage points), transportation (0.26
percentage points), and tea, coffee, and cocoa (0.12 percentage
points).

The rise in inflation in May 2026 compared with the same month last
year was mainly attributed to transportation costs, which accounted
for 1.23 percentage points of the increase. Rental costs followed
with a contribution of 0.68 percentage points, while oils and fats
added 0.27 percentage points.

The report noted that declines in the prices of certain goods helped
curb inflationary pressures during May. Most notably, lower prices
for fruits and nuts reduced the inflation rate by approximately 0.14
percentage points.

The DoS explained that the Consumer Price Index is calculated based
on a basket of 850 consumer goods and services, including 325 food
items and 525 non-food items. Price data are collected from a survey
sample of 3,400 establishments across the Kingdom.

//Petra// MF