Mozambique: 1.26% inflation in January amid floods

Prices in Mozambique rose by 1.26% in January, more than double the increase recorded in December, according to data released today by the National Statistics Institute (INE), during a period that coincided with logistical difficulties caused by flooding in the country. The January Consumer Price Index (CPI) from INE indicates that Mozambique “recorded a price increase of around 1.26%” compared with December, once again influenced by the food and non-alcoholic beverages sector, which contributed 0.93 percentage points to the overall monthly variation. The report highlights monthly price increases by product, notably tomatoes (16.3% in one month), coconuts (53.0%), cabbage (17.2%), charcoal (9.2%), dried fish (3.4%), onions (14.8%) and lettuce (29.6%).

“These contributed around 0.83 positive percentage points to the overall monthly variation,” the CPI states. From mid-January to early February, traffic on National Roads 1 and 2, from Maputo to the north and south respectively, was completely cut off due to flooding, disrupting supply chains and driving up prices. The floods, already considered the worst in decades, affected nearly 725,000 people, particularly in the south of the country, and at least 27 deaths have been recorded.

Prices in Mozambique rose by 3.23% in 2025, according to data released last month by INE, remaining below the figure recorded in the previous year. The December CPI indicated that Mozambique “recorded a price increase of around 0.49%” compared with November. It added that during 2025 the country “recorded an increase in the general price level of around 3.23%”, mainly due to the impact on the food and non-alcoholic beverages division and on restaurants, hotels, cafés and similar establishments, which contributed 1.87 and 0.70 percentage points respectively.

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Mozambique recorded eight monthly declines (deflation) in the consumer price index in less than a year and a half, four of them between April and July last year, before price rises resumed from August onwards. Accumulated inflation in 2024, according to earlier INE data, stood at 4.15%, compared with 5.3% in 2023, but below the peak of nearly 13% reached in July 2022. The Government had forecast inflation of around 7% for Mozambique in 2025, the same estimate projected for 2026.

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