Inflation hits its highest level in a year: chicken, eggs, and drinking water lead the price increases

After remaining contained for much of 2025 and the first month of 2026, inflation in Lima, Peru's main inflation barometer, rebounded in February 2026, climbing 0.69%, the highest monthly jump not seen since March of the previous year (when it was 0.81%). The price index was driven mainly by sharp increases in food and drinking water prices. With this result, cumulative inflation over the last 12 months (March 2025 – February 2026) reached 2.21%. Although it is still within the Central Reserve Bank's target range (1%-3%), there is a clear acceleration not seen in 15 months (November 2024), when it stood at 2.27%. A direct hit to the pocketbook: food prices rise 2.01% In February, of the 586 products that make up the family basket, 303 rose in price, 122 fell, and 161 showed no change. The increase was concentrated in food and non-alcoholic beverages (2.01%), the division with the greatest weight in the basket (22.97%). Some products recorded sharp increases: Green peas: +106% Strawberries: +32% Perico: +28% Chicken eggs: +18% Lettuce: +16% Yellow sweet potato: +13% Eviscerated chicken: +9% Only four products, green peas, eviscerated chicken, eggs, and the increase in drinking water, accounted for 0.604 percentage points of the total 0.69% for the month. In other words, almost all of February's inflation was concentrated in these consumer goods. Water prices rose 10.3%. In the housing, water, electricity, and gas division (1.00%), the increase in drinking water for Peruvian households stood out, registering a 10.3% increase, effective February 1. This increase was partially offset by the reduction in the electricity tariff for households (-2.8%), but it did not prevent the item from putting pressure on the overall index. In the case of restaurants and hotels, there was a 0.29% increase, with rises in the prices of traditional dishes, restaurant menus, and roast chicken. Core inflation, which excludes food and energy, was 0.36% in February, indicating that the greatest pressure came from more volatile components, especially fresh food. In Peru, all cities recorded price increases. The largest increases were in Puno (0.93%), Chiclayo (0.81%), and Cajamarca (0.79%). Among the cities that showed smaller increases were Chimbote and Huaraz (0.02%) and Cerro de Pasco (0.10%). However, if we look at the period between March 2025 and February 2026, eight cities recorded considerable increases of over 2.00%. Это: Ика 2,42%, Икитос 2,29%, Пиура 2,28%, Лима-Метрополитана 2,21%, Пуэрто-Мальдонадо 2,11%, Пукальпа 2,05%; Абанкай и Аякучо — по 2,04% каждая. В сфере транспорта наблюдался рост цен на топливо. Основной импульс был дан подорожанием газового топлива, которое выросло на 3,6%, что напрямую повлияло на тех, кто использует частные автомобили. С другой стороны, сжиженный нефтяной газ (СНГ) подешевел на 1,5%, что помогло частично сдержать рост цен на топливо. В сфере воздушного транспорта цены на внутренние авиабилеты выросли на 5,7%, а на международные — на 0,8%, что отражает более сильное давление на рейсы внутри страны. С другой стороны, некоторые расходы, связанные с использованием личных автомобилей, снизились. Например, плата за проезд по автомагистралям снизилась на 4,2%, что помогло немного смягчить общее влияние в этой сфере. Единственной сферой, которая продемонстрировала снижение, стала сфера связи (-1,10%) из-за снижения тарифов на некоторые тарифные планы мобильной связи, что помогло смягчить общий результат.