In September 2019, headline inflation increased to 3 percent from 2.9 percent in August 2019. According to the latest data from Statistics Botswana, the slight increase in inflation during September 2019 reflects the rise in the rate of annual change in prices for some categories of goods and services, led by ‘Food and Non-alcoholic Beverages’ (from 2 to 2.5 percent). Other categories contributing to the higher inflation are: ‘Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco’ (from 3.5 to 3.6 percent); Restaurants and Hotels (from 2.3 to 2.4 percent); and Miscellaneous Goods and Services (from 5 to 5.1 percent). However, the upward pressure on inflation was partly offset by inflation decreasing with respect to: Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas and Other Fuels (from 1.8 to 1.6 percent); Health (from 1.1 to 0.9 percent); and Furnishing, Household Equipment and Routine Maintenance (from 2.2 to 2.1 percent).  Inflation remained unchanged for: Transport (6.2 percent); Education (3.2 percent); Clothing and Footwear (1.2 percent); Recreation and Culture (0.1 percent); and Communication (0 percent).     

The trimmed mean measure of core inflation remained unchanged at 2.7 percent, while inflation excluding administered prices increased from 2.2 percent to 2.3 percent.