Antigua and Barbuda Records First Deflation in Nearly Five Years

Consumer prices in Antigua and Barbuda have fallen for the first time since November 2020, with the Statistics Division reporting a 1.2 percent decline in the inflation rate for the 12 months ending April 2025.

The drop was led by a sharp fall in transport services, which plunged 41.8 percent compared to the previous year. Officials attributed the decline to significantly lower airline fares to the United Kingdom, where average ticket prices dropped from EC $5,984.20 to EC $2,920.63 over the period.

Prices for household appliances also eased by 5.5 percent, with notable decreases recorded for carpets and floor coverings (down 10.2 percent), glassware and household utensils (down 9.2 percent), and garden tools (down 3.4 percent).

Food prices dipped slightly, falling 0.9 percent year-on-year. Vegetables (down 6.8 percent), oils and fats (down 7.2 percent), and fish and seafood (down 1.5 percent) led the declines. Potatoes saw the steepest fall at 13.2 percent, while preserved or processed fish dropped 3.6 percent.

Core inflation—which excludes volatile food and energy prices—declined by 1.9 percent. The drop was driven mainly by lower costs in transport, household furnishings, recreation and culture, and alcoholic beverages.

The last sustained period of deflation in Antigua and Barbuda occurred in 2016, when consumer prices fell for ten consecutive months, bottoming out at 1.1 percent in October and December of that year.

On a month-to-month basis, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) also registered a decline, falling 0.4 percent compared to March 2025. Recreation and culture services dropped 7 percent, while household furnishings and equipment fell 5.8 percent. Non-alcoholic beverages also slid 3 percent.

Those declines offset small gains in other categories, including clothing and footwear (up 1.9 percent), communication (up 0.9 percent), and miscellaneous goods and services (up 0.3 percent)

Report attached below:

Monthly CPI April 2025