Inflation stands at 5.11% above the target range at the end of April
Since May 2023, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) has remained above the target range of 4.0% ± 1.0%. Yesterday, the Central Bank reported that year-on-year inflation, measured from April 2025 to April 2026, reached 5.11%, slightly above the upper limit of the target, due to instability in the global economy.
The CPI recorded a monthly variation of 0.49% in April alone, explained mainly, says the Central Bank, by adjustments in the prices of regular and premium gasoline, as well as diesel, amid increases in oil prices in international markets linked to geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.
The institution highlighted that the April CPI was higher due to the -0.07% variation in the Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages group, in addition to the effect of the appreciation of the Dominican peso against the US dollar, which resulted in price reductions in items such as automobiles, airfare, and some items in the Communications group, among others.
The Central Bank reported that core monthly inflation was 0.43%, contributing to the year-on-year rate of 4.87%, which remained within the target range of 4.0% ± 1.0%.
It states that this indicator allows for clearer signals to be drawn for the conduct of monetary policy, because it excludes some items that do not normally respond to liquidity conditions in the economy, such as foods with highly variable prices, fuels, and services with regulated prices, such as electricity rates, transportation, as well as alcoholic beverages and tobacco.
Analyzing the monthly variation in the overall Consumer Price Index (CPI) for April 2026, Central Bank analysts observed that the groups with the greatest impact on the result were Transportation, Miscellaneous Goods and Services, Restaurants and Hotels, Recreation and Culture, Housing, and Health. In contrast, the Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages, Communications, and Clothing groups registered negative changes, thereby helping mitigate inflation that month.
The Transportation group saw a 1.78% inflation rate, making it the largest contributor to April’s inflation, accounting for 61.94% of the total. The bank maintains that this result is primarily due to government-mandated price adjustments for regular, premium, and diesel gasoline. Increases were also observed in intercity bus fares for private companies and in motorcycle taxi services, while seasonal reductions in airfares and car and motorcycle prices partially mitigated the overall increase in this group.
The price index results by socioeconomic strata showed inflation rates of 0.36% in quintile 1, 0.40% in quintile 2, and 0.47% in quintile 3. Quintiles 4 and 5 showed variations of 0.52% and 0.65%, respectively.
The steeper rate in the fifth quintile is attributed to the combination of the smaller effect of decreases in the food category and a larger contribution from increases.
