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Malta’s annual inflation rate, measured through the Retail Price Index, rose to 2.7% in March 2026, up from 2.5% in February. This means that inflation increased by 0.2 percentage points month-on-month, confirming a slight upward movement in consumer prices. The 12-month moving average rate remained stable at 2.5%.

The strongest annual price increase was recorded in the Housing category, where inflation reached 5.9%. This was followed by Other goods and services, which registered an annual rate of 4.7%. On the opposite side, the lowest rate was observed in Clothing and footwear, which decreased by 3.4%, while Water, electricity, gas and fuels remained unchanged at 0.0%.

Food remained the main driver of inflation. In March 2026, the Food Index contributed +0.77 percentage points to the overall annual inflation rate, mainly due to higher prices of take-aways. The second-largest contribution came from Housing, with +0.47 percentage points, followed by Other goods and services, with +0.35 percentage points.

Within the Housing group, rent registered an annual increase of 2.8%, while materials for house maintenance rose by 6.5% and services for house maintenance by 6.3%. In contrast, the Clothing and footwear category continued to exert downward pressure on inflation, with clothing prices falling by 3.3% and footwear prices decreasing by 3.7%.

Overall, the March figures show that inflation in Malta is still moderate but slightly rising, with food and housing costs continuing to play a central role in household price pressures.

ARTICLE WRITTEN BY NSO
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