Essential commodity prices in Malé rise 6.07% year-on-year
The ECPI tracks the prices of 96 essential commodities, with food accounting for 70.94% of the items included in the index.
Top Stories
Prices of essential commodities in Malé increased by 6.07% in July compared with the same month last year, with meat, coffee and cooking gas among the categories recording the largest increases, according to data from the Maldives Bureau of Statistics (MBS).
The Essential Commodities Price Index (ECPI) for July 2026 shows increases across several categories of goods used by households, although the overall index declined compared with the previous month.
The ECPI tracks the prices of 96 essential commodities, with food accounting for 70.94% of the items included in the index.
Meat recorded the largest year-on-year increase among the listed categories, rising by 21.43% between July 2025 and July 2026.
Coffee and coffee products increased by 20.20%, while cooking gas and other fuels rose by 14.54%.
Prices of sugar, jam, honey and confectionery increased by 10.73% over the same period. Milk, dairy products and eggs rose by 9.48%, while oils and fats increased by 9.26%.
The figures come as the cost of essential goods has become a subject of political and public discussion in the Maldives.
Cooking gas prices did not change between June and July this year. However, prices in the category remained 14.54% higher than in July last year.
Despite the annual increase, the ECPI recorded a decline on a monthly basis.
Essential commodity prices in Malé fell by 1.27% in July compared with June 2026, driven mainly by a reduction in food prices.
The food category declined by 1.81% during the month. Vegetable prices fell by 10.89%, while fruit prices decreased by 1.42%.
Some food categories, however, recorded increases during July. Prices of milk, dairy products and eggs rose by 0.95% from June, while oils and fats increased by 0.74%.
The ECPI is used to track changes in the prices of goods identified as essential to households and to assess price movements in the market.
While the July figures show a month-on-month decline, prices remained above their levels a year earlier, with the overall index up 6.07% and several household categories recording increases of more than 10%.
