Transportation and energy prices rise significantly - ASK: Inflation in Kosovo reaches 6.8 percent
The Kosovo Agency of Statistics (KAS) has published the Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) for May 2026, applying the new COICOP 2018 classification with a base year of 2025 and an updated methodology. According to the official data presented in this report, the annual inflation rate in Kosovo has reached 6.8 percent.
However, at a monthly level, a slight decrease in prices of 0.4 percent was recorded, when comparing May with April of this year.
According to ASK, the overall harmonized consumer price index in May 2026 was 6.8 percent higher than in the same period last year. This annual increase was mainly influenced by the large price increase in the transport sector by 14.1 percent, as well as in the housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels group by 13.2 percent.
Price increases were also recorded in alcoholic beverages, tobacco and narcotics by 5.6 percent, restaurants and accommodation services by 5.3 percent, food and non-alcoholic beverages by 5.1 percent, and healthcare by 4.1 percent.
Meanwhile, furniture and household appliances rose by 3.6 percent, alongside smaller increases in the recreation, clothing and communication categories. The only category that recorded a decrease on an annual basis was educational services by 0.6 percent.
In terms of changes within the month, the 0.4 percent decrease in May compared to April 2026 was mainly due to the decrease in prices of transport by 2.0 percent, housing and energy by 0.7 percent, and food and non-alcoholic beverages by 0.2 percent. On the other hand, there was also a slight increase in alcoholic beverages, tobacco and health by 0.7 percent each, furniture by 0.6 percent, as well as in the categories of information, clothing and restaurant services.
Cash still dominates transactions in Albania - BoA: Over 553 billion lek circulated at bank counters during the first quarter of the year
Cash continues to remain one of the most widely used forms of transactions in Albania, despite the increase in electronic payments and the use of online......
Reform in administration, EU assesses Albania's progress - Pirdeni: ASPA expands trainings, 540 participants from the private sector
Public administration reform and civil service modernization remain among the main priorities in Albania's European integration process. During her report......
The French model of criminal asset management - AAPSK and ARO expand international cooperation
A delegation of the Agency for the Administration of Seized and Confiscated Assets (AAPSK) and the Asset Recovery Office (ARO), led by the Chief......
Labor force participation rate reached 76.2%/ Agriculture leads employment decline, services show growth
According to the latest data published by the Institute of Statistics (INSTAT), the labor market in Albania presents a mixed picture in the first quarter of......
Hoxha at SEECP: Albania's path towards the EU has entered the most decisive phase, the aim is to close negotiations by 2027
Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Ferit Hoxha, participated in the Ministerial meeting of the South East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) taking......
Peleshi meets in Athens with Plakiotakis: Greece supports Albania's European journey and strengthening parliamentary cooperation
The Speaker of the Albanian Parliament, Niko Peleshi, held an official meeting in Athens with the Chairman of the Committee on European Affairs and First......
Sula: The reform of technical inspections should focus on preventing risks in construction
Construction safety should be treated as a shared responsibility of institutions, professionals, universities and the private sector, while the technical......
The Transparency Board publishes new fuel prices: Oil drops to 188 lek/liter
The Transparency Board approved this Wednesday the new fuel sales prices in the domestic market, which will enter into force on June 10, starting at 2:00......
