MANILA, Philippines — Inflation slowed to 6.8 percent in May 2026 on the back of slower annual increases in the costs of transport, food, housing, water, electricity, and gas, the Philippine Statistics Authority reported on Friday.
It was slower than the 7.2 percent inflation recorded in April but faster than the 1.3 percent inflation seen in May 2025.
It was also lower than the 7.8 percent median forecast of The Manila Times' poll of economists and falls outside the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas' estimate of 7.1 percent to 7.9 percent.
Core inflation, which excludes select food and energy items, accelerated to 4.1 percent in May 2026 from 3.9 percent in the previous month. It was also higher than the 2.2 percent recorded in the same month last year.
To date, headline inflation is at 4.5 percent, while core inflation is at 3.4 percent.
