Bangladesh’s point-to-point inflation rose to 9.04 per cent in April 2026, up from 8.71 per cent in March, according to the latest data released by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS). The rate, however, remained slightly lower than the 9.17 per cent recorded in April last year.
The data showed that both food and non-food inflation increased during the month. Food inflation at the national level rose to 8.39 per cent in April from 8.24 per cent in March. Non-food inflation also climbed, reaching 9.57 per cent compared to 9.09 per cent in the previous month. In April 2025, food inflation stood at 8.63 per cent, while non-food inflation was higher at 9.61 per cent.
The BBS said the inflation figures were calculated on a point-to-point basis using data collected from 154 markets across all 64 districts of the country.
In rural areas, overall inflation increased to 9.05 per cent in April from 8.72 per cent in March. Rural food inflation rose to 8.23 per cent from 8.02 per cent, while non-food inflation climbed to 9.81 per cent from 9.38 per cent. A year earlier, rural food inflation was 8.40 per cent and non-food inflation stood at 9.86 per cent.
Urban areas also recorded an upward trend. Inflation in cities rose to 9.02 per cent in April from 8.68 per cent in March. Urban food inflation edged up to 8.81 per cent from 8.78 per cent, while non-food inflation increased more sharply to 9.15 per cent from 8.62 per cent. In April 2025, urban food and non-food inflation were 9.13 per cent and 9.88 per cent respectively.
Despite the monthly increase, longer-term figures showed a decline. The 12-month average inflation rate for May 2025 to April 2026 stood at 8.59 per cent, down significantly from 10.21 per cent recorded in the same period a year earlier.
Wage growth also saw a slight rise in April. The national wage rate index increased to 8.16 per cent from 8.09 per cent in March, though it remained marginally lower than the 8.19 per cent recorded in April 2025.
By sector, wage growth in agriculture rose to 8.19 per cent from 8.11 per cent a month earlier. In industry, it increased to 8.09 per cent from 8.02 per cent, while the services sector recorded the highest growth at 8.31 per cent, up from 8.23 per cent. In April 2025, wage growth stood at 8.40 per cent in agriculture, 7.87 per cent in industry, and 8.42 per cent in services, the BBS said.
