Electricity and Fuel Prices Drive Consumer Costs Up

Consumer prices continued to rise in May, primarily due to increased costs associated with electricity and fuel. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) climbed from 111.0 points in April to 111.9 points in May 2026, representing a 0.8% month-over-month increase.

Electricity was the main contributor to this rise, accounting for 0.4 points of the index change. Fuel prices also impacted the overall costs, with gasoline adding 0.3 points to the general index. Other food items contributed 0.2 points, while bread added an additional 0.1 points.

However, some declines helped to mitigate the overall price increase. Vegetables deducted 0.1 points from the index, as did subscriptions to private television services.

Year-on-year inflation reached 4.3% in May 2026, compared to 4.2% during the same period the previous year. The average inflation rate over the last twelve months stood at 4.2%, a significant increase from the 2.7% recorded a year earlier.

Data released by Statistics Mauritius also indicate that inflationary pressures persist beyond the most volatile products. The underlying CORE1 inflation, which excludes food, beverages, tobacco, and mortgage interest, was reported at 6.6% year-on-year, up from 3.0% in May 2025. The CORE2 index reached 6.1%, compared to 5.3% a year earlier.

By expenditure category, the most significant increase was observed in the "housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels" category, which saw a jump of 4.1% between April and May. Transportation also experienced a rise of 1.9%, while restaurants and accommodation services increased by 1.0%.

Expenditures on food and non-alcoholic beverages rose by 0.6% over the month. Increases were also noted in furniture and household maintenance (+0.9%), clothing and footwear (+0.3%), as well as education services (+0.1%).

Conversely, information and communication services declined by 1.6%, while expenses related to personal care, social protection, and miscellaneous goods and services decreased by 1.2%. Leisure, sports, and cultural activities showed a slight decrease of 0.1%.

Source: Statistics Mauritius