TUNIS: Inflation slowed to 5.7% in February 2025 from 6% in January, the National Institute of Statistics (INS) announced on Wednesday.

The INS attributed the decrease in inflation to slower price increases in several key categories.

In February 2025, food prices rose by 7%, compared to 7.1% in January 2025. Similarly, clothing and footwear prices increased by 8.6% (down from 9.7% in January), healthcare services by 4% (down from 9.1%), and housing and domestic energy prices by 3.8% (down from 4.1%).

The Institute explained that the 7% annual increase in food prices, calculated on a year-on-year basis (compared to February 2024), was driven by significant rises in the prices of lamb (21.4%), fresh vegetables (18.7%), dried fruits (14.2%), fresh fish (13.4%), and poultry (10.5%).

In contrast, the prices of edible oils decreased by 16.2%.

Additionally, the prices of manufactured goods rose by 5.2% year-on-year, primarily due to increases in clothing and footwear prices (9.7%) and cleaning products (4.8%). Similarly, service prices increased by 5.1%, largely driven by higher prices in restaurants, cafes, and hotels (11.4%).

Core inflation and regulated goods inflation

Core inflation, which excludes energy and food prices, declined to 5.7% in February 2025, down from 6% in January. Prices of non-regulated goods rose by 6.7%, while regulated goods saw a modest increase of 2.2%. On an annual basis, non-regulated food prices increased by 7.8%, compared to just 1.1% for regulated food items.

Consumer price index drops slightly by 0.1% in February compared to previous month

The Institute also noted that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) experienced a slight decrease of 0.1% in February 2025 compared to January.

This was mainly due to a 3.6% drop in clothing and footwear prices, coinciding with ongoing winter sales, and a 0.1% decrease in household goods and services prices following a recent adjustment in electricity tariffs. In contrast, food prices rose by 0.5%.

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