Philippine inflation jumps to 7.2% in September 2026

In the Philippines, inflation surged to 7.2% in September 2026, representing its highest rate in four months, according to the latest report from the Philippine Statistics Agency. The country's headline inflation rate surpassed the 6.1% recorded in August, aligning with the range of 6.4% to 7.4% estimated by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). National statistician Claire Dennis Mapa revealed that this inflation rate is identical to April 2026 and marks the last record high of 7.6% in March 2023.

The surge in inflation was primarily attributed to elevated costs of food and non-alcoholic beverages, which increased to 6.7% from the previous August record of 4.6%. Additionally, prices of housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels climbed from 7.9% to 8.4%, while transport costs rose from 13.5% to 14.6%. These factors collectively contributed to the overall inflation trend.

Mapa noted that 11 out of 13 commodity groups experienced price increases in September compared to August. Furthermore, the rate of price increases was particularly rapid among residents in the bottom 30%, reaching 9% in September, up from 8.2% in August.