According to Statistics Botswana, headline inflation rose marginally from 8.6 percent in November 2021 to 8.7 percent in December 2021, remaining above the upper bound of the Bank’s medium-term objective range of 3 - 6 percent, and substantially higher than 2.2 percent in December 2020. The marginal increase in inflation between November and December 2021 mainly reflects the slight increase in the rate of annual price change for most categories of goods and services, while for a few, prices remained stable. Inflation increased with respect to: Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages (from 6.7 to 7.2 percent); Furnishing, Household Equipment and Routine Maintenance (from 4.8 to 5.1 percent); Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco (from 9.2 to 9.4 percent); Restaurants and Hotels (from 4.2 to 4.4 percent); Miscellaneous Goods and Services (from 7 to 7.2 percent); Clothing and Footwear (from 4 to 4.1 percent); and Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas and Other Fuels (from 8.1 to 8.2 percent). However, the upward pressure on inflation was partially offset by inflation falling with respect to Transport (from 18.7 to 18.3 percent). Inflation remained unchanged for: Recreation and Culture (4.1 percent); Health (2.9 percent); Education (2.8 percent); and Communication (1.1 percent).
The 16 percent trimmed mean inflation remained constant at 8 percent between November and December 2021, while inflation excluding administered prices increased slightly from 7 percent to 7.1 percent, in the same period.