Sri Lanka Inflation Rises to 4.7% in April 2026

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka’s inflation rate rose sharply to 4.7 percent in April 2026 on a year-on-year basis, according to official data, marking a notable increase compared to 2.4 percent recorded in March 2026.

The inflation measure, based on the National Consumer Price Index (NCPI), reflects divergent trends between food and non-food categories during the period under review.

Year-on-year inflation in the food category moved to 1.1 percent in April from 0.7 percent recorded in March. In contrast, non-food inflation saw a significant rise, increasing to 7.8 percent from 3.8 percent over the same period.

In terms of overall contribution to inflation, food commodities accounted for 0.50 percentage points in April 2026, compared to April 2025.

Non-food items contributed a much larger share, amounting to 4.26 percentage points. This increase was primarily driven by price rises across several categories.

Among the key contributors were Transport, which recorded the highest increase at 1.69 percent, followed by Other Fuels at 1.26 percent. Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas and Other Fuels also saw notable price increases.

Additional increases were observed in Health (0.14 percent), Clothing and Footwear (0.11 percent), and Furnishing, Household Equipment and Routine Household Maintenance (0.08 percent). Smaller contributions came from Education (0.33 percent), Restaurants and Hotels (0.34 percent), and Miscellaneous Goods and Services (0.22 percent).