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Consumer Price Index (CPI)
April 2026
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) for April 2026 rose 3.1% over the period from April 2025 to April 2026. The All-Items Less Food and Energy index increased 4.0%, while the Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages index increased 1.2%.
Over the twelve months ending April 2026, the Food Index increased marginally by 0.3%. The Food index had mixed results, with five categories declining, three increasing and the index for Sugars, Jams, Honey, Chocolate, and Confectionery remained unchanged. The small increase in the Food Index was largely attributed to increases in the Indexes for Fish and Seafood (+11.0%) and Vegetables (+8.0%). Contrary to the increase, the index was negatively impacted by decreases in the indexes for Fruit (-12.9%), Milk, Cheese and Eggs (-6.5%), and Meat and Meat Products (-5.2%), resulting in a low food inflation rate.
The All-Items Less Food and Energy index increased by 4.0%. This increase was influenced primarily by a 60.3% increase in the Transport Services Index. The rise in the Transport Services index was attributed to rising costs of regional and international air fares. Additional indexes with notable increases over the one-year period include Recreation and Culture (+30.2%), Education (+13.3) and Restaurants and Hotels (+4.5%).
Month-to-Month Price Changes
The monthly Consumer Price Index increased 1.0% in April 2026. The Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages index rose 2.4% over the month of March 2026.
The Food Index increased by 2.4% following a negative inflation rate of (-1.5%) in March 2026. The index for Vegetables increased 7.5% with increases in its three subcategories. The index for Fresh and Chilled Vegetables recorded its largest one-month increase of 13.3% since November 2024 increase of 19.4%. The index for Fruit rose 4.7% with increases in the indexes for Fresh or Chilled Fruit (+5.7%) and Frozen, Preserved or Processed Fruit and Fruit-based Products (+2.2%). The index for Fish and Seafood rose 3.9% as both of its subcategories increased.
The index for Non-Alcoholic Beverages rose 2.6%, primarily due to increases in the indexes for Fruit and Vegetable Juices (+8.2%) and Soft Drinks (+2.9%).
The index for All Items Less Food and Energy rose 0.9% in April 2026. The index for Transport Services rose 11.7%, resulting from a 14.0% increase in the average price of airline fares. Other notable index increases recorded were Recreation and Culture (+14.5%) and Health (+2.4%).
Methodology
What is the consumer price index (CPI) measuring and how is it done?
The All Items Consumer Price Index (CPI) is the main measure of what is commonly called inflation, or headline inflation. It measures the change in prices, on average, from month to month, and from year to year of the goods and services bought by most households.
Prices are collected monthly and quarterly from supermarkets and other suppliers of goods and services. The pattern of household expenditure on these goods and services is derived from a regular household budget (or expenditure) survey (HBS). The prices and spending patterns (known as weights) are then combined to calculate the price indices for groups of goods and services and for the All Items index. These indices are based on expenditure patterns in 2006.
The All Items (or overall) index, with all of its twelve (12) component indices, is published each month.
For a detailed account of the methodology used in calculating the CPI, please call the National Bureau of Statistics.
St John’s Antigua, May 29, 2026. The Statistics Division, under the Ministry of Finance and Corporate Governance releases the CPI for Apr 2026.
Copies of the CPI for Apr 2026 can be accessed on the National Bureau of Statistics website www.statistics.gov.ag
Issued by:
National Bureau of Statistics
Ministry of Finance and Corporate Governance
Direct enquiries to:
Mr. Rohan Anthony, Senior Statistician, (268) 462-0451
Ms. Jerry Aska, Senior Research Officer, (268) 562-7496
April 2026