2.19%: Kuwait Inflation Rises Through July on Food, Transport

Summary

• Kuwait's annual inflation reached 2.19% at the end of July, official statistics data showed.
• Food and beverage prices rose 6.08% year-on-year, the steepest increase among the main spending groups.
• Rising food and transport costs lift household living expenses and shape the consumption and monetary outlook.

The latest

Consumer prices in Kuwait rose 2.19% year-on-year at the end of July, according to data from the Central Statistical Bureau provided to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA). On a monthly basis, the index gained 0.21% over June. The bureau attributed the annual increase to higher prices across food, health, clothing, education and miscellaneous goods and services.

Details

• The headline figure: The Central Statistical Bureau put annual inflation at 2.19% at the end of July, based on the consumer price index. The data were released to KUNA on Thursday. The bureau did not publish a comparison with the previous month's annual reading.
• The monthly reading: Prices rose 0.21% in July compared with June, according to the same data. The monthly pace is a separate measure from the annual rate and captures the most recent movement in the index rather than the full-year accumulation of price increases.
• Food leads: The food and beverages index climbed 6.08% in July against the same month of 2025, the largest annual increase among the groups disclosed. Food is the single heaviest driver of the overall figure, and it sits well above the all-items rate of 2.19%.
• Transport costs: Prices in the transport group rose 5.54% in July year-on-year, the second-steepest increase disclosed. Transport and food together account for the bulk of the upward pressure identified by the bureau in its explanation of the annual rise.
• Miscellaneous goods: The miscellaneous goods and services group recorded a 4.21% annual increase in July. The bureau listed it among the main groups driving the index, alongside health, clothing and education, for which it did not publish individual percentage changes.
• Stripping out food: Excluding food and beverages, inflation stood at 1.28% year-on-year in July, according to the data. That is less than half the rate recorded for food alone and well below the 2.19% all-items figure, indicating how concentrated the pressure is.
• The groups cited: The bureau named food, health, clothing and apparel, education, and miscellaneous goods and services as the main contributors to the annual move. It did not break out the weight each group carries in the overall index.
• What is not stated: The bureau did not provide a forecast for coming months, nor did it link the July reading to any policy action. No commentary on the central bank's interest rate stance accompanied the release of the figures to KUNA.

Between the lines

The gap between the 2.19% all-items rate and the 1.28% reading excluding food shows the increase is driven by a narrow set of groups rather than broad-based price pressure. Food at 6.08% and transport at 5.54% weigh most heavily on lower-income households, which spend a larger share of income on both, even as the headline figure stays close to 2%.

What's next

Watch the August consumer price index release from the Central Statistical Bureau for whether food and transport increases ease, and whether the all-items rate holds near 2% or moves higher.

Source: Central Statistical Bureau (Kuwait) via Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)