Windhoek: Households in Windhoek are paying more for a basket of everyday goods than consumers elsewhere in the country, as the Khomas Region recorded the highest annual inflation rate of Namibia's three pricing zones in July, the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA) said on Thursday.

According to Namibia Press Agency, the region's annual inflation rate stood at 5.3% in July 2026, up from 3.1% a year earlier, as reported by the Namibia Consumer Price Index (NCPI) Bulletin. The increase was driven mainly by transport, which rose from a deflation of 2.0% to inflation of 10.1%, and recreation and culture, which rose from 2.1% to 7.3%.

By comparison, the ||Kharas, Erongo, Hardap, and Omaheke regions, grouped as Zone 3, recorded annual inflation of 4.3%, up from 3.6% a year earlier. The nine regions in the north and north-east of the country, grouped as Zone 1, recorded the lowest annual inflation rate at 3.6%, down from 3.9%, aided by a slowdown in food price increases and a decline in furnishings and household equipment costs.

NSA Statistician-General Alex Shimuafeni mentioned that the bulletin was intended to help 'enhance statistical production' and support planning, urging stakeholders to submit feedback to the agency.

The report's zonal price survey showed Windhoek shoppers paid N$118.62 per kilogramme for beef mince, the highest of the three zones, and N$52.50 per kilogramme for fresh tomatoes, also the highest. Windhoek consumers paid the least for a 5kg bag of maize meal, at N$73.37, against N$78.99 in Zone 1 and N$71.06 in Zone 3.

Zone 3 shoppers paid the most for beef stew, at N$116.65 per kilogramme, and for white wine, at N$88.08 per 750ml bottle. Zone 1 consumers paid the most for biltong, at N$517.17 per kilogramme.

Housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels carry the largest weight in the Khomas Region's household basket, at 32.7%, compared with 25.8% in Zone 1 and 25.5% in Zone 3, according to the bulletin's zonal weighting table. This means Windhoek households are more exposed to swings in electricity and housing costs than consumers elsewhere in the country.

Nationally, the NCPI basket contains more than 350 items across 12 categories, with prices collected monthly from more than 900 retail outlets. The basket was last rebased in 2013 using data from the 2009/10 Namibia Household Income and Expenditure Survey.

The next CPI bulletin, covering August 2026, is expected on 08 September 2026, the NSA said.