Egypt’s Annual Inflation Climbs to 13% in July 2026, Driven by Surging Housing and Transport Costs
Egypt’s annual headline inflation rate recorded 13% in July 2026, up from 12.2% in June, according to the latest data released by the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS).
The general Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the entire republic reached 289.9 points in July, registering a marginal monthly increase of 0.1% compared to June 2026.
Annual Inflation: Key Sectoral Drivers
The year-on-year (YoY) inflation acceleration was heavily influenced by significant price hikes across essential services, particularly housing, transport, and education.
The following table highlights the annual changes across major CPI categories (July 2026 vs. July 2025):
Sector / CategoryAnnual Change (YoY)Key Sub-Category Drivers
Housing, Water, Electricity & Gas+31.1%Imputed rent (+50.9%), Actual rent (+28.1%)
Transport+21.1%Transport services (+23.9%), Private transport expenditure (+18.8%), Vehicle purchases (+11.5%)
Education+20.0%Post-secondary/Technical (+364.5%), Pre-primary & Basic (+22%), General/Tech Secondary (+15.3%)
Furnishings & Household Equipment+15.2%Furniture/Carpets (+10.9%), Glassware/Tableware (+9.3%)
Restaurants & Hotels+13.3%Ready-made meals (+13.3%), Hotel services (+12.8%)
Clothing & Footwear+13.0%Cleaning/Repair (+14.7%), Fabrics (+14.4%), Ready-made apparel (+13.9%)
Miscellaneous Goods & Services+11.4%Personal effects (+16.2%), Personal care (+14.2%)
Food & Beverages+7.9%Fish & Seafood (+4.4%), Meat & Poultry (+4.0%), Grains & Bread (+2.9%). (Note: Dairy, cheese, and eggs dropped by 1%)
Healthcare+5.6%Hospital services (+21.5%), Outpatient services (+14.3%)
(Note: Alcoholic beverages and tobacco also rose by 8.4% YoY, driven entirely by an 8.4% increase in tobacco prices. Telecommunications saw a 10.5% annual increase, while Culture and Recreation rose by 11.8%).
Monthly Inflation Dynamics (July vs. June 2026)
On a month-on-month (MoM) basis, the CPI's slight 0.1% uptick masked varied movements across different consumer sectors.
Notably, the Food and Beverages division recorded a 0.1% decline overall. This contraction was primarily driven by a 2.1% drop in meat and poultry prices. However, this was largely offset by increases in other grocery staples, including vegetables (+2.0%), mineral water and juices (+1.0%), fish and seafood (+0.7%), fruits (+0.7%), and grains and bread (+0.3%).
Other notable monthly price movements included:
SectorMonthly Change (MoM)Notable Movements
Furnishings & Household Maintenance+1.4%Home maintenance goods/services (+1.7%), Home/Garden tools (+1.1%)
Housing & Utilities+0.6%Imputed rent (+0.9%), Actual rent (+0.8%), Home maintenance (+0.8%)
Healthcare+0.6%Hospital services (+1.6%), Outpatient services (+1.5%)
Clothing & Footwear+0.4%Fabrics (+1.0%), Dry cleaning/Repair (+0.6%)
Restaurants & Hotels+0.2%Hotel services (+0.4%), Ready-made meals (+0.2%)
Transport+0.1%Vehicle purchases (+0.4%), Private transport expenditure (+0.2%)
Culture & Recreation-2.5%Organized tourist trips (-7.0%)