Meat prices in Rwanda’s urban areas rose by 33.8 percent in July 2026 compared to July 2025, while over just one month, between June and July, prices climbed 17.8 percent.
This is according to a new report from the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR), the monthly Consumer Price Index (CPI), which tracks changes in the prices of goods and services purchased by households.
The report identifies meat as one of the food categories driving the sharpest price increases in July 2026. Over the single month, meat prices rose 17.8 percent, and 33.8 percent over the year.
This increase came even as food and non-alcoholic beverages overall rose by a more modest 13.1 percent year-on-year in urban areas compared to July 2025, and 1.5 percent between June and July 2026.
Among the components of the Urban Consumer Price Index, meat carries a weight of 2 percent. NISR indicates that the rise in meat prices contributed 1.1 percentage points to the annual increase in urban CPI.
Meat wasn’t alone, other staple foods also became more expensive. Vegetables rose 19.8 percent over the year, though they fell 0.8 percent between June and July. Bread and cereals rose 7 percent, while milk, cheese, and eggs rose 5.9 percent.
The increase also comes as Rwanda is monitoring an outbreak of Rift Valley Fever, a livestock disease that can also infect humans. In affected areas, measures have been put in place including controls on livestock movement and restrictions on activities that could spread infection.
Meat traders in various areas say these measures have affected meat supply to markets, which has been linked to the price increase. In some areas, the price per kilogram rose from around 7,000 Rwf to between 12,000 and 13,000 Rwf.
However, the NISR CPI report does not specify the exact cause behind this level of meat price increase, it only shows how prices changed over the period examined.
Overall, urban CPI rose 14.5 percent in July 2026 compared to July 2025, while it rose 0.9 percent between June and July. Nationally, CPI rose 13.8 percent, while in rural areas the increase was 13.3 percent.
NISR collects prices monthly for around 1,622 products and services across various locations, including markets, shops, hospitals, and schools, to calculate changes in the prices of goods and services purchased by households.
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