About the National Consumer Price Index (NCPI)
The NCPI, published by Tanzania's National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), is the country's official measure of consumer price inflation. It tracks how the cost of a fixed basket of goods and services changes over time for a representative sample of Tanzanian households.
📍 Geographic Coverage
Price data is collected from all 26 regional headquarters on the Tanzanian mainland, ensuring nationwide representativeness across both urban and rural areas.
⚖️ Weights & Reference
Weights are derived from the 2017/18 Household Budget Survey, covering urban and rural households. The base price reference period is Jan–Dec 2020; index reference year is 2020.
🗂️ Classification Standard
The NCPI follows the UN COICOP 2018 classification, disseminated across 13 expenditure divisions. Supplementary indices include the Core Index, Energy Index, Services Index, and Goods Index.
📐 Index Formula
Elementary aggregates use the geometric mean of price relatives. Higher-level aggregates use the Lowe Index formula (a type of Laspeyres index), ensuring methodological alignment with international standards.
Annual Headline Inflation: 4.0% in April 2026
Tanzania's annual Headline Inflation Rate for April 2026 jumped to 4.0 percent, a significant increase from the 3.2 percent recorded in March 2026. The overall NCPI index rose from 119.78 in April 2025 to 124.61 in April 2026, reflecting broad-based price pressures across the economy — with transport being the most acute pressure point.
Source: NBS Tanzania, May 2026
The chart above illustrates a broadly stable period from April 2025 through mid-2025, followed by a gradual upward trend beginning in late 2025 and accelerating into 2026. The inflation rate, which hovered between 3.2% and 3.5% for most of the year, broke above this band sharply in April 2026.
NCPI by Expenditure Group — Full Breakdown
The table below presents the complete NCPI data for all 13 COICOP expenditure divisions, plus selected supplementary indices. Figures compare April 2025, March 2026, and April 2026 index values, along with 1-month and 12-month percentage changes.
Source: NBS Tanzania, May 2026
| # | Expenditure Group | Weight (%) | Apr 2025 | Mar 2026 | Apr 2026 | 1-Month Δ | 12-Month Δ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages | 28.2 | 130.62 | 136.88 | 138.12 | +0.9% | +5.7% |
| 2 | Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco | 1.9 | 112.14 | 114.41 | 114.74 | +0.3% | +2.3% |
| 3 | Clothing & Footwear | 10.8 | 114.51 | 115.99 | 116.35 | +0.3% | +1.6% |
| 4 | Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas & Other Fuels | 15.1 | 118.90 | 119.82 | 120.93 | +0.9% | +1.7% |
| 5 | Furnishings, Household Equipment & Maintenance | 7.9 | 115.35 | 117.82 | 118.35 | +0.4% | +2.6% |
| 6 | Health | 2.5 | 109.31 | 110.35 | 111.03 | +0.6% | +1.6% |
| 7 | Transport ⚡ Highest inflation | 14.1 | 119.73 | 124.22 | 130.68 | +5.2% | +9.2% |
| 8 | Information & Communication | 5.4 | 106.17 | 107.20 | 107.18 | 0.0% | +1.0% |
| 9 | Recreation, Sport & Culture | 1.6 | 111.13 | 111.65 | 111.93 | +0.3% | +0.7% |
| 10 | Education Services | 2.0 | 112.16 | 113.22 | 115.03 | +1.6% | +2.6% |
| 11 | Restaurants & Accommodation Services | 6.6 | 117.08 | 119.07 | 119.13 | +0.1% | +1.8% |
| 12 | Insurance & Financial Services | 2.1 | 102.46 | 102.57 | 102.59 | 0.0% | +0.1% |
| 13 | Personal Care, Social Protection & Misc. | 2.1 | 118.05 | 121.88 | 122.15 | +0.2% | +3.5% |
| TOTAL – ALL ITEMS INDEX | 100.0 | 119.78 | 123.04 | 124.61 | +1.3% | +4.0% | |
Supplementary Index Aggregations
| Supplementary Index | Weight (%) | Apr 2025 | Mar 2026 | Apr 2026 | 1-Month Δ | 12-Month Δ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Core Index | 73.9 | 115.66 | 117.96 | 119.29 | +1.1% | +3.1% |
| Non-Core Index | 26.1 | 131.47 | 137.45 | 139.73 | +1.7% | +6.3% |
| Energy, Fuel & Utilities Index ⚡ | 5.7 | 134.05 | 134.36 | 141.15 | +5.1% | +5.3% |
| Services Index | 37.2 | 112.54 | 114.99 | 117.07 | +1.8% | +4.0% |
| Goods Index | 62.8 | 124.07 | 127.80 | 129.09 | +1.0% | +4.0% |
| Education Services & Products Index | 4.1 | 114.37 | 115.22 | 116.02 | +0.7% | +1.4% |
| All Items Less Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages | 71.8 | 115.53 | 117.60 | 119.31 | +1.5% | +3.3% |
Source: NBS Tanzania — NCPI Press Release, 8 May 2026
Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages Inflation: 5.7%
Food inflation rose to 5.7% year-on-year in April 2026, up from 5.5% in March 2026. With a basket weight of 28.2%, food is the single largest expenditure category and a critical driver of headline inflation. The 1-month increase of 0.9% suggests continued upward momentum. Non-food inflation (all items excluding food & non-alcoholic beverages) rose sharply to 3.3% from 2.1% in March, reflecting the pass-through of fuel costs into the broader economy.
Source: NBS Tanzania, May 2026. Note: intermediate months interpolated from available data.
Key Food Items Driving Monthly Price Increases (Mar→Apr 2026)
Core Inflation: 3.1% — A Significant Jump
The Core Index — which excludes volatile unprocessed food, energy, and utilities (with the exception of maize flour) — rose to 3.1% in April 2026, up markedly from 2.2% in March 2026. Covering 297 items representing 73.9% of the total NCPI weight, core inflation is widely regarded as a better indicator of underlying structural price trends.
The acceleration in core inflation is particularly significant from a policy standpoint: it signals that inflationary pressure is no longer confined to volatile categories like food and fuel, but is becoming more entrenched across the broader economy. This is the metric the Bank of Tanzania watches most closely.
Source: NBS Tanzania, May 2026
Monthly Change: March to April 2026
The overall NCPI increased by 1.3% between March and April 2026 (from 123.04 to 124.61). This monthly jump — larger than any single-month movement in the preceding 12 months — is primarily attributable to the dramatic fuel price increases. The non-food sectors most affected are listed below.
Source: NBS Tanzania, May 2026
Non-Food Items Driving Monthly Price Increases (Mar→Apr 2026)
📅 Upcoming NCPI Release Schedule
| NCPI Reference Month | Scheduled Release Date |
|---|---|
| May 2026 | 8 June 2026 |
| June 2026 | 8 July 2026 |
| July 2026 | 10 August 2026 |