By Sallieu S. Kanu
Sierra Leone – September 15, 2025: Statistics Sierra Leone (Stats SL) has released the August 2025 Consumer Price Index (CPI), revealing a continued trend of single-digit inflation for the fifth consecutive month. The national year-on-year inflation rate stands at 5.85 percent, marking a 0.60 percentage point drop from July’s 6.45 percent.
However, monthly inflation rose to 1.51 percent in August, up from 0.32 percent in July, indicating short-term price pressures.
Upward Movers
Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas and Other Fuels: Inflation surged from 5.40% in July to 7.81% in August, a 2.41 percentage point increase.
Transport: Rose from 0.63% to 2.23%, reflecting a 1.60 percentage point increase.
Downward Movers
Restaurants and Hotels: Dropped significantly from 19.00% to 14.97%, a 4.03 percentage point decline.
Recreation and Culture: Fell from 10.20% to 8.40%, down by 1.80 percentage points.
Regional Trends
Four regions recorded declines in inflation:
- Western Area: 8.03% (down from 8.21%)
- Eastern Region: 2.02% (down from 3.44%)
- Southern Region: 3.48% (down from 4.17%)
- Northern Region: 6.58% (down from 9.98%)
Only the North-West Region saw an increase, rising from 2.77% to 4.43%.
Broader Economic Insights
Stats SL highlighted that all five regions reported single-digit inflation rates in August. Notably, food inflation has dropped to a five-year low, with its impact reduced nearly ninefold over the past year. The national inflation estimate remains higher than all regional figures except for the Western and Northern regions.
The CPI, rebased to December 2021, is calculated using the Modified Laspeyres formula and covers 440 items across major markets in Freetown, Bo, Kenema, Makeni, Kono, Port Loko, and Kambia. These figures are vital for shaping consumer behavior, production costs, and policy decisions.