East Nusa Tenggara logs 2.59% August inflation, monthly deflation of 0.40%

Labuan Bajo — East Nusa Tenggara recorded year-on-year inflation of 2.59% in August 2026, while experiencing monthly deflation of 0.40%, according to the provincial office of Statistics Indonesia (BPS NTT).

BPS NTT head Matamira B. Kale said the province’s cumulative inflation from January to August 2026 reached 1.65%, with the annual rate in August rising from 2.43% in July 2026, as reported in a briefing to local media in Kupang.

Nationally, Indonesia’s consumer inflation stood at 3.19% year-on-year in August, with monthly inflation of 0.21%, according to BPS data cited by Bank Indonesia. The national figures place East Nusa Tenggara slightly below the national average for annual inflation.

Local media reporting on the August data highlighted food prices as a key driver of the monthly deflation in East Nusa Tenggara. According to BPS NTT, ample supplies of key food items helped push prices down, easing cost pressures on households.

Price movements and household costs

BPS NTT attributed the province’s 0.40% monthly deflation partly to lower prices for food commodities, including chicken and various vegetables. Officials noted that sufficient trader stocks and abundant production contributed to the price declines.

The national inflation picture in August was influenced by several expenditure groups, with personal care and other services, transport, and food-related items among the categories contributing to price changes. At the national level, jewellery gold was identified as an important driver of core inflation, reflecting higher global gold prices.

For households and businesses in East Nusa Tenggara, the August figures offer a reference point for assessing purchasing power and operating costs. The combination of relatively moderate annual inflation and short-term deflation suggests some temporary relief in consumer prices, particularly for essential food items.

Inflation context in East Nusa Tenggara

The 2.59% annual inflation rate reported for East Nusa Tenggara in August places the province among the regions with lower inflation relative to several other Indonesian provinces. National analysis of BPS data shows East Nusa Tenggara grouped with provinces such as Papua Selatan and Sumatera Selatan in the lower band of regional inflation outcomes.

Bank Indonesia described national consumer price inflation in August as remaining within the official target range of 2.5% plus or minus 1 percentage point, supported by contained core inflation and government and central bank efforts to manage food and administered prices.

While the August 2026 data provide a province-wide view, BPS NTT’s public statements did not separately detail an inflation rate for Labuan Bajo. City-level consumer price index data are compiled by Statistics Indonesia, but were not fully broken out in the local August reporting for East Nusa Tenggara.

For tourism, transport and hospitality operators in Labuan Bajo and elsewhere in the province, the combination of easing food prices and still-positive annual inflation suggests that input costs may be stabilising in the short term, even as broader price levels remain higher than a year earlier.

Sources

• Bank Indonesia – "IHK Agustus 2026 Tetap Terjaga"
• Itera blog – "Inflasi Agustus 2026 Tembus 3,19 Persen, Ini Penyumbang Terbesarnya"