Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq’s inflation held ground in January 2026, keeping the cost of living largely unchanged compared with the same month last year, the Ministry of Planning reported on Tuesday.

Citing figures shared by the Central Statistical Organization and the Geographic Information Systems, Abdul Zahra Al-Hindawi, the Ministry's spokesperson, noted that monthly prices edged up slightly by 0.9% compared with December 2025.

On an annual basis, compared with 2024, inflation followed a shifting pattern throughout the year. Prices rose during the first five months of 2025, peaking in January with an annual increase of 2.3%. From June onward, annual inflation turned negative and continued to decline through the final months of the year.

Iraq’s annual inflation rate stood at 2.6% in 2024, down from 4.4% in 2023 and 5% in 2022, according to recent figures released by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Read more: Without oil: Iraq's economic future hanging in the balance