In August, annual inflation in Georgia accelerated to 5.6%, and prices rose by 0.4% over the month, Sakstat reported. The main source of growth was transport: over the year, prices in this category increased by 15.2%, adding 1.81 percentage points to overall inflation. The operation of personal cars became 20.8% more expensive, and transport services – by 12.8%.
Food and non-alcoholic beverages increased by 5% over the year, providing another 1.72 percentage points of inflation. Prices for fish and seafood increased particularly noticeably – by 18.1%, meat – by 9.8%, oils and fats – by 7.8%, bread – by 7.1%. At the same time, fruits and grapes became 6.1% cheaper. Housing, water, electricity and gas rose by 8.5%, and electricity, gas and other fuels – by 10.3%.
Core inflation, excluding the most volatile categories, was 3.8%. The National Bank of Georgia previously raised its forecast for average inflation for 2026 from 4.9% to 5.2% due to rising energy prices amid instability in the Middle East. Currently, the refinancing rate is 8.25%, and on September 9, the regulator is to discuss its further fate.