BPS: West Papua Records Highest Inflation Rate in May 2026

The Indonesian Central Statistics Agency (BPS) has reported that West Papua became the province with the highest annual inflation (year-on-year/yoy) nationwide in May 2026, reaching 5.94 per cent. Conversely, Lampung recorded the lowest annual inflation rate at 1.94 per cent.

“Regarding the distribution of annual inflation by region, all provinces experienced inflation on a year-on-year basis,” stated Pudji Ismartini, Deputy for Methodology and Statistical Information at BPS, in Jakarta on Tuesday.

On a monthly basis (month-to-month/mtm), BPS noted that 31 provinces experienced inflation, while seven others experienced deflation. The highest monthly inflation occurred in Maluku at 0.93 per cent. Provinces experiencing deflation included Southwest Papua at 0.01 per cent, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) at 0.08 per cent, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) at 0.26 per cent, South Papua at 0.50 per cent, North Sulawesi at 0.61 per cent, Papua at 0.68 per cent, and Gorontalo, which saw the deepest deflation at 0.96 per cent.

In May 2026, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose to 111.40 from 111.09 in April 2026, resulting in a monthly inflation rate of 0.28 per cent. The expenditure group primarily driving monthly inflation was food, beverages, and tobacco, with an inflation rate of 0.39 per cent and a contribution of 0.12 per cent.

By component, core inflation rose by 0.22 per cent, providing the largest inflationary contribution at 0.14 per cent. Meanwhile, government-regulated prices rose by 0.52 per cent, and volatile components rose by 0.22 per cent.

On an annual basis (year-on-year/yoy), the CPI increased from 108.07 in May 2025 to 111.40 in May 2026, bringing the annual inflation rate to 3.08 per cent. This annual inflation was mainly driven by the food, beverages, and tobacco group, which saw inflation of 4.94 per cent and a contribution of 1.43 per cent.

Regarding components, core inflation was 2.59 per cent, contributing 1.66 per cent to the total. Government-regulated prices rose by 2.07 per cent with a contribution of 0.40 per cent, while volatile components experienced an annual inflation rate of 6.24 per cent, contributing 1.02 per cent.