South Africa Food Inflation
Year-on-year change in consumer prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages.
Food Inflation in South Africa increased to 2.78 percent in Dec 2024 from 2.53 percent in Nov 2024.
South Africa Food Inflation — History
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South Africa Food Inflation — analysis in simple words
Latest reading
Food Inflation in South Africa increased to 2.78 percent in Dec 2024 from 2.53 percent in Nov 2024.
Over the last three months it rose once and fell twice.
Recent trend
A year earlier (Dec 2023) it was 8.6%, so the latest figure is 5.8 percentage points lower.
Over the past five years the average was 7.1%, with a range from 2.5% to 14.0%. The latest value is below that five-year average.
Historical context
This data series starts in Jan 1971 and has 648 monthly observations. The latest reading is higher than 8% of all of them.
The highest value on record is 30.5% (Jul 1992) and the lowest is -1.5% (Oct 1995). The long-run average is 10.3%.
Compared with other countries
Among 42 economies with recent data, South Africa ranks 27th from the top. The median across all these economies is 3.3%, so South Africa is below the typical country.
Among 15 major economies tracked on this site it ranks 6th.
Statistics
- Latest
- 2.8%Dec 2024
- Previous
- 2.5%
- 5-year average
- 7.1%
- Long-run average
- 10.3%since Jan 1971
- All-time high
- 30.5%Jul 1992
- All-time low
- -1.5%Oct 1995
- Observations
- 648Monthly
Recent Data
| Period | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Dec 2024 | 2.8% | ▲ +0.2 pp |
| Nov 2024 | 2.5% | ▼ −1.1 pp |
| Oct 2024 | 3.6% | ▼ −1.1 pp |
| Sep 2024 | 4.8% | ▼ −0.2 pp |
| Aug 2024 | 5.0% | ▲ +0.3 pp |
| Jul 2024 | 4.6% | ▼ −0.1 pp |
| Jun 2024 | 4.7% | ▼ −0.2 pp |
| May 2024 | 4.9% | ▲ +0.1 pp |
| Apr 2024 | 4.8% | ▼ −0.5 pp |
| Mar 2024 | 5.3% | ▼ −0.9 pp |
| Feb 2024 | 6.2% | ▼ −1.0 pp |
| Jan 2024 | 7.2% | ▼ −1.4 pp |
| Dec 2023 | 8.6% | ▼ −0.6 pp |
| Nov 2023 | 9.2% | ▲ +0.2 pp |
| Oct 2023 | 9.0% | ▲ +0.7 pp |
| Sep 2023 | 8.2% | ▲ +0.2 pp |
| Aug 2023 | 8.0% | ▼ −1.9 pp |
| Jul 2023 | 9.9% | ▼ −1.0 pp |
| Jun 2023 | 10.9% | ▼ −0.9 pp |
| May 2023 | 11.8% | ▼ −2.1 pp |
| Apr 2023 | 14.0% | ▼ −0.1 pp |
| Mar 2023 | 14.0% | ▲ +0.5 pp |
| Feb 2023 | 13.5% | ▼ −0.0 pp |
| Jan 2023 | 13.6% | ▲ +1.1 pp |
| Dec 2022 | 12.5% | ▲ +0.1 pp |
| Nov 2022 | 12.4% | ▲ +0.5 pp |
| Oct 2022 | 12.0% | ▼ −0.0 pp |
| Sep 2022 | 12.0% | ▲ +0.4 pp |
| Aug 2022 | 11.6% | ▲ +1.7 pp |
| Jul 2022 | 9.9% |
Food Inflation — South Africa vs Peers
Latest available reading for each economy (periods may differ). South Africa highlighted.
More South Africa indicators
Understanding Food Inflation — a simple guide
What it measures
The year-on-year change in the price of food and non-alcoholic beverages in the consumer price index.
How it is calculated
Year-on-year % change in the food and non-alcoholic beverages part of the CPI basket.
If vegetables, cereals and milk together cost 8% more than a year ago, food inflation is 8%.
High food inflation hurts household budgets and often lifts headline inflation.
Low or negative food inflation eases household costs but can mean lower farm incomes.
Why it matters for the economy and markets
Food is a large share of household spending, especially in emerging economies like India, so food prices strongly affect headline inflation and household budgets.
How to read it
Food inflation is volatile because of monsoon, harvests, supply problems and global commodity prices. Look at several months together rather than a single reading.
What to look at alongside it
Rainfall/monsoon, crop output, headline inflation and global food prices.
Key terms
- COICOP 01
- The international code for “food and non-alcoholic beverages” in CPI.
Data source
OECD — Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (series OECD CPI food), monthly data from Jan 1971 to Dec 2024. Values are shown exactly as published by the source and may be revised later.
How to use the chart
Use the 5Y / 10Y / 25Y / Max buttons to change the time range, or drag the slider under the chart. Hover (or tap) on the line to see the exact value for any period. Dashed lines and hatched bars are IMF projections, not actual data. The “Download CSV” button gives you the full data series.
Frequently asked questions
What is the current food inflation of South Africa?
What is the highest and lowest food inflation of South Africa?
What does food inflation measure?
Data are sourced from official international organisations (IMF, World Bank, BIS) and national authorities, and are shown for educational and informational purposes only. They are not investment advice and no recommendation is made. Figures may be revised by the source; IMF figures for the current and future years are projections. This page was last updated on Saturday, October 17, 2026.