Same Country, Different Inflation: Central Region faces 11.1% while Bono East records -3.3%

Ghana’s overall inflation rate stood at 5.0% in August 2026, but the impact of rising prices varied significantly across the country.

In the Central Region, households faced an inflation rate of 11.1% in August 2026, meaning prices were significantly higher than they were a year earlier. In Bono East, however, inflation was -3.3%, indicating that prices fell over the same period.

This represents a 14.4 percentage point difference between the two regions.

According to the Ghana Statistical Service’s August 2026 Consumer Price Index (CPI) report, Ashanti recorded an inflation rate of 8.7%, while Greater Accra recorded 5.0%.

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Together, the two regions contributed 63.6% of Ghana’s overall inflation rate, largely due to their large populations and high share of household spending.

The Central Region also recorded the biggest monthly increase in inflation, rising from 7.5% in July to 11.1% in August.

At the other end of the scale, the Western Region recorded -2.2% inflation, while the Savannah Region recorded -0.04%. Both regions experienced falling or nearly unchanged prices compared with a year earlier.

The North East Region also saw a significant improvement, with inflation falling from 10.8% in July to 8.5% in August.

The regional differences are linked to local market conditions, transport costs and the types of goods and services on which households spend more.

The CPI uses 13 major spending categories, but these categories do not carry the same weight in every region.

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This means changes in transport, food or housing costs can have a greater impact on households in some regions than in others.

The figures suggest that the impact of inflation is not uniform across Ghana. They also highlight the need for government measures to take regional differences into account, particularly in areas such as the Central Region, where inflation is significantly higher.

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