Business
Drinking and smoking get a break as inflation eases to 7.6%
According to the Zambia Statistics Agency (ZAMSTATS)
Picture: Zambian Business Times
According to the Zambia Statistics Agency (ZAMSTATS) September 2026 report, the Consumer Price Index for Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco increased by 7.6% between September 2025 and September 2026, indicating a slowdown in price increases within the category.
The report seen by the Zambian Business Times-ZBT revealed that this was lower than the 10.2% recorded in September 2025 and the 7.7% recorded in August 2026, showing that inflationary pressure in the category has continued to ease.
Meanwhile, speaking in an interview with Zambian Business Times-ZBT, economic expert Samuel Lungu said the decline indicates that the pace at which prices of alcoholic beverages and tobacco are increasing has moderated compared to the previous year.
“It tells us inflationary pressure in that basket is easing, because coming down from 10.2% last year to 7.6% shows that price stability is returning, possibly due to stable excise tax and improved supply from local breweries,” said Lungu.
He observed that although the 0.1 percentage point decline between August and September may appear small, the direction of movement is important because the category has recorded a second consecutive month of easing pressure.
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“Month-on-month, 0.1% is small, but the direction matters, because for two months it has been cooling, and we are not seeing the sharp price increases that were experienced in 2025 when imported inputs were expensive,” said Lungu.
He said ZAMSTATS separately tracks alcoholic beverages and tobacco because the category is heavily taxed and its price movements can provide an indication of changes in production costs, taxation, and consumer behavior.
Lungu revealed that for an ordinary person, it means a bottle of beer or a pack of cigarettes still costs more than last year, but not as much more as it did before, and if this trend continues towards December, we may end the year below 9%.
Article by Philip Sinkala
Source: Zambian Business Times — Read more
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