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Home/Economy/Inflation
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Economy · Inflation

Inflation

Headline and core CPI, food and fuel prices, and how cost-of-living pressure is moving.

23 stories matched from the TrueRate newsroom.

CBL Statistical Data · Harmonized CPI

Consumer Price Index for Liberia (LBR_CPI_0), sourced from the Central Bank of Liberia DataWarehousePro. Monthly series.

Latest CPI820.5As of 2026-03
Year-on-Year+4.50%12-month change

Chart showing Liberia harmonized CPI over the past 24 months. Year-on-year change: +4.50%.

Source: Central Bank of Liberia DataWarehousePro · Updated nightly

banking

Money Supply Hits L$299 Billion — Why Cash Is Up and Savings Are Down

Broad money reached L$299,356.37 million in March 2026, up 10.66% year-on-year, according to CBL data. But the composition is diverging: narrow money grew 7.86% in a single month while quasi money contracted 6.51%, signaling a liquidity preference shift with direct implications for bank lending and credit availability.

TrueRate · Jul 4, 2026

investing

13.11% to Borrow, 1.94% to Save: the Spread That Shapes Every Investment

The gap between what banks charge borrowers and what they pay savers widened to 11.17 percentage points in February 2026, according to CBL data. With inflation at 4.50%, every Liberian-dollar savings account is losing purchasing power — and depositors are responding by pulling money out.

TrueRate · Jul 4, 2026

business

Fuel Costs Jump 12% in One Month — Headline Inflation Reads 0.6%

The imported fuel price index rose 12.38% in March 2026 to its highest level in two years while the headline consumer price index climbed just 0.62%, according to LISGIS. For keke operators, market traders, and delivery businesses, the gap between official inflation and daily operating costs is the widest it has been in at least two years.

TrueRate · Jul 4, 2026

policy

VAT Set to Replace GST in Biggest Tax Overhaul in Years

The Liberia Revenue Authority is steering the country's biggest indirect-tax overhaul in decades: replacing the single-rate Goods and Services Tax with a multi-stage Value Added Tax. With tax revenue at US$59.46 million in March 2026 — a month when one-off non-tax receipts swelled total revenue to US$304.37 million — the shift is as much about broadening the tax base as changing the rate.

TrueRate · Jun 23, 2026

business

Banks Hold L$260 Billion in Deposits — Where Does the Money Go?

Liberian commercial banks held L$260,501 million in deposits included in broad money as of March 2026 — roughly US$1.42 billion at prevailing rates. Yet bank claims on the private sector grew just 1.1% over the same year. The deposits are piling up faster than banks are willing to deploy them.

TrueRate · Jun 10, 2026

business

CBL Holds Policy Rate at 16.25% — What Businesses Should Know

The Central Bank of Liberia has held its monetary policy rate at 16.25% since October 2025 — down from 20% in mid-2024 but still elevated by historical standards. With headline inflation at 4.50%, real interest rates are strongly positive, and commercial lending at 13.11% remains expensive for most businesses.

TrueRate · Jun 3, 2026

analysis

Imported Goods Hold Steady; It's Local Prices That Are Rising

Imported-item prices were essentially flat over the year to March 2026, up just 0.1%, while domestic prices rose 5.8%. The split overturns the usual story and points to home-grown costs, not imports, as the live inflation risk.

TrueRate · May 2, 2026

economy

Eating Out Gets 15% Pricier — the Fastest-Rising Cost of All

Prices for restaurants and hotels rose 14.8% in the year to March 2026, the fastest of any major category and a heavy one at 17% of the basket. The climb reflects rising food, labor and energy costs feeding through to prepared meals and lodging.

TrueRate · Apr 30, 2026

economy

Why School Fees Make Education Costs Jump Once a Year

Education prices rose 3.2% over the year to March 2026, moving in a single step rather than gradually — the signature of fees set once a year. For families, the cost of schooling is a recurring strain in a country betting on its young population.

TrueRate · Apr 25, 2026

economy

Keeping the Lights On Costs 6% More This Year

The cost of housing, water, electricity and fuels rose 6.1% in the year to March 2026, outpacing headline inflation. With shelter and utilities a fixed monthly burden, the increase squeezes household budgets that have little room to adjust.

TrueRate · Apr 20, 2026

economy

Inflation Cools to 4.50%, but the Core Tells a Tougher Story

Headline inflation slowed to 4.50% year-on-year in March 2026 as domestic food prices fell, capping a long disinflation from 2025's double-digit average. But core inflation held near 6% and imported fuel jumped 12% in the month, leaving the Central Bank with reason for caution.

TrueRate · Apr 3, 2026

policy

Money Supply Swells 11% While the Central Bank Holds Steady

Broad money reached L$299.4 billion in March 2026, up 10.66% year-on-year, while the Central Bank held its policy rate at 16.25%. Reserve money surged 31% — fast enough to bear watching against the inflation goal — even as commercial lending rates edged up rather than down.

TrueRate · Apr 3, 2026

banking

Banks Are Lending to the Government, Not to Business

Banks' claims on the private sector rose just 1.1% in the year to March 2026 — a decline in real terms — while lending to the central government jumped about 40%. The pattern points to private credit being crowded out, and squares with Liberia's stubbornly high borrowing costs.

TrueRate · Apr 3, 2026

economy

Domestic Food Prices Eased in Liberia, but Imported Fuel Jumped in March

Domestic food prices fell about 1% over the year to March 2026, offering households rare relief, while imported fuel prices rose 12% in the month alone. The split shows how Liberia's cost of living turns on the divide between home-grown and imported goods.

TrueRate · Apr 2, 2026

forex

A Stronger Currency Eases Import Costs as the US Dollar Slips to L$184

The Liberian dollar closed March 2026 at L$183.93 per US dollar — about 8% stronger than a year earlier, supported by booming gold exports and steady remittances, though it has given back ground since the end of 2025. In a dual-currency, import-dependent economy, the rate shapes everything from fuel prices to inflation.

TrueRate · Apr 2, 2026

analysis

Mining Output Tops US$1 Billion, Driving One-Fifth of Liberia's GDP

The value of mining and panning output rose 23% to over US$1 billion in 2025, about a fifth of GDP and the single biggest driver of last year's growth. The sector's rise brings export earnings and revenue — and a deepening concentration of the economy's fortunes.

TrueRate · Apr 1, 2026

economy

The Economy Grew 4.6% in 2025 — or 5.1%, Depending on Who's Counting

Liberia's economy expanded 4.6% in 2025, its strongest pace in three years, lifting GDP to US$5.16 billion as mining output jumped 23%. National statistics put growth half a point below the World Bank's 5.1% estimate — a reminder that headline numbers still depend on who is counting.

TrueRate · Apr 1, 2026

banking

Business Loans Get Pricier Even as Consumer Rates Fall

The average lending rate rose to 13.11% in February 2026 from 12.25% a year earlier, even as personal-loan and mortgage rates fell. Deposit returns stayed at 1.94%, keeping banks' margins wide and credit costly in an economy where formal borrowing is already scarce.

TrueRate · Mar 31, 2026

economy

Imports More Than Doubled in March, Exposing a Deep Dependence

Imports reached US$329 million in March 2026, more than double a year earlier, and totaled US$2.35 billion for 2025. The figures lay bare how dependent Liberia remains on foreign goods — from fuel and food to machinery — and the pressure that puts on the trade balance.

TrueRate · Mar 31, 2026

banking

Cash Outside Banks Jumped 22% in Liberia as Deposits Grew Slowly

Currency held outside banks rose 22% over the year to February 2026, far outpacing growth in bank deposits. The pattern points to persistent cash preference in an economy where much activity stays informal — a drag on lending and on monetary policy.

TrueRate · Mar 30, 2026

economy

Services Quietly Remain the Biggest Engine of the Economy

Services output reached US$2.01 billion in 2025, up about 7%, remaining the biggest part of Liberia's economy ahead of agriculture and mining. The sector's breadth — trade, transport, hospitality and government — makes it the quiet backbone of domestic activity.

TrueRate · Mar 30, 2026

economy

Agriculture Employs the Most People but Grew the Slowest

Agriculture and fisheries output reached US$1.40 billion in 2025, up just 1.3% in value, even as the sector remains the country's largest source of livelihoods. The gap between agriculture's employment and its growth is a defining feature of Liberia's uneven expansion.

TrueRate · Mar 29, 2026

economy

Cement and Beverages Push Manufacturing Up 9%

Manufacturing output rose to US$331 million in 2025, up about 9%, with cement and beverage production posting strong gains. Small as a share of GDP, the sector's growth points to expanding domestic industry that could ease reliance on imports.

TrueRate · Mar 28, 2026