The point-to-point inflation of the country eased to 9.16 per cent in June, down from 9.42 per cent in May, mainly due to a slowdown in food inflation, according to the latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) released by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS).
The BBS monthly inflation report showed that food inflation fell to 8.60 per cent in June from 9.06 per cent in May, while non-food inflation edged down to 9.61 per cent from 9.71 per cent over the same period.
The national CPI rose to 146.11 points in June from 145.61 in May, indicating that although prices continued to increase on a monthly basis, the pace of annual inflation slowed.
On a month-to-month basis, overall inflation increased by 0.34 per cent in June, with food prices rising 0.53 per cent and non-food prices 0.19 per cent compared with May.
Despite the moderation, food prices remained the main driver of inflation. Food inflation stood at 8.60 per cent in June, compared with 7.39 per cent in the same month last year, while non-food inflation was 9.61 per cent against 9.37 per cent a year earlier.
Inflation remained slightly higher in rural areas than in urban centres.
According to the BBS, rural inflation declined to 9.23 per cent in June from 9.48 per cent in May, while urban inflation fell to 9.01 per cent from 9.25 per cent.
Food inflation in rural areas eased to 8.52 per cent from 8.95 per cent a month earlier, while urban food inflation dropped to 8.76 per cent from 9.29 per cent.
However, non-food inflation remained comparatively high, reaching 9.89 per cent in rural areas and 9.16 per cent in urban areas.
The latest Wage Rate Index also showed a slight easing in wage growth.
The national wage rate increased by 8.18 per cent on a point-to-point basis in June, marginally lower than 8.21 per cent in May and unchanged from June last year.
The index is based on wage-related data collected from all 64 districts.
Among the major sectors, agriculture recorded wage growth of 8.21 per cent in June, down slightly from 8.22 per cent in May and 8.40 per cent a year earlier.
Industrial sector wage growth eased to 8.11 per cent from 8.15 per cent in May but remained higher than the 7.87 per cent recorded in June 2025.
The services sector registered wage growth of 8.34 per cent, compared with 8.36 per cent in May and 8.43 per cent in June last year.
The report suggests that wage growth remained broadly stable despite marginal month-on-month declines across all three sectors.
Meanwhile, the 12-month moving average inflation continued to decline, falling to 8.68 per cent during July 2025-June 2026 from 10.03 per cent in the corresponding period a year earlier, indicating a gradual easing of overall price pressures.
The latest figures also show that inflation moderated significantly during FY2025-26 compared with the previous fiscal year.
Annual average inflation stood at 8.68 per cent in FY2025-26, down from 10.03 per cent in FY2024-25.
Average food inflation fell sharply to 8.06 per cent from 10.70 per cent a year earlier, while average non-food inflation eased to 9.20 per cent from 9.47 per cent.
The estimates are based on the CPI with 2021-22 as the base year.
The BBS compiled the data using prices collected from 154 markets across the country covering 383 goods and services, with point-to-point inflation comparing prices in June 2026 with those in June 2025.