Turkish annual inflation rose to 32.61% in May, while monthly consumer prices increased by 1.71%, data from the Turkish Statistical Institute showed on Friday.

Official figures show that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased by 16.61 percent compared with December 2025, while the twelve-month average rise stood at 32.24 percent, indicating that inflationary pressures remain persistent despite easing from previous peaks.

Among the main spending categories, the sharpest annual increase was recorded in housing-related expenses. Prices for housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels rose by 45.59 percent compared to May 2025, making it the largest contributor to overall inflation.

Food and non-alcoholic beverages increased by 34.86 percent year-on-year, while transportation costs rose by 34.29 percent over the same period.

In terms of contribution to annual inflation, food and non-alcoholic beverages added 8.60 percentage points, housing contributed 6.07 points, and transportation accounted for 5.63 points.

On a monthly basis, food prices provided some relief, falling by 0.48 percent in May.

However, this decline was offset by increases in other categories. Transportation prices rose by 2.03 percent, while housing-related costs increased by 2.28 percent during the same period.

Transportation contributed 0.35 percentage points to monthly inflation, housing added 0.27 points, while food prices exerted a downward effect, subtracting 0.12 points from the overall monthly figure.

According to TÜİK data, prices increased in 137 out of 174 subcategories included in the CPI basket. Meanwhile, 28 categories recorded declines and nine categories remained unchanged, highlighting the broad nature of price increases across the economy.

Core inflation—excluding unprocessed food, energy, alcohol, tobacco, and gold—rose by 2.87 percent month-on-month and 31.30 percent year-on-year in May.

The indicator showed a 14.93 percent increase since the start of the year, while the twelve-month average reached 31.74 percent, suggesting that underlying inflationary pressures remain strong.

Overall, the latest data indicate that although headline inflation has moderated from earlier highs, key sectors such as housing and transportation continue to exert significant upward pressure on consumer prices. (ILKHA)