Israel’s May inflation falls 0.3% as annual rate eases to 1.9%

Israel’s Consumer Price Index fell 0.3% in May 2026 from April, beating expectations for a 0.1% decline, the Central Bureau of Statistics said Monday evening. Over the 12 months through May 2026, inflation stood at 1.9% versus May 2025.

The sharpest monthly drops were in fresh fruit, down 4.9%, transportation, down 2.7%, and furniture and household equipment, down 0.1%. Offsetting those declines were increases in fresh fruit prices, up 6.7%, clothing, up 1.9%, culture and entertainment, up 1.1%, and housing, up 0.6%.

The housing price index, which compares transactions from March to April 2026 with those from February to March 2026, showed a 0.3% decline in apartment prices, including both new and secondhand homes. On an annual basis, housing prices were down 1.3%.

By region, prices fell 2% in Jerusalem, were almost unchanged in the north, and rose 0.7% in Tel Aviv. The figures were released by the Central Bureau of Statistics as the new inflation and housing data for May.