The national Consumer Price Index (IPCA-15), covering 15 products, increased by 0.62% in May, according to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE). The preliminary inflation figure was 0.27 percentage points lower than the April rate of 0.89%.
Compared to May 2025 and the cumulative data up to this month of the previous year, the index recorded an increase. For the year, the HICP-15 recorded an increase of 3.02% and, over 12 months, of 4.64%, higher than the 4.37% observed in the immediately preceding 12 months. In May 2025, the HICP-15 reached 0.36%.
Product variations
According to the IBGE, among the nine groups of products and services surveyed, food and beverages stand out, with the greatest variation (1.38%).
Following this, housing (1.03%) and health and personal care (1.05%) had the greatest impact on the overall result.
Other variations ranged from -0.33% in transport to 0.50% in personal spending.
Drops in transportation and fuel prices
The data showed that in the transportation group, where the index was -0.33%, fuels slowed from 6.06% in April to -1.47% in May, with drops for ethanol (-2.73%), diesel (-2.04%) and gasoline (-1.32%).
Automotive gas, however, rose 2.12%, and airline tickets rose 3.25%, after a 14.32% decline in April.
Also in the transportation sector, IBGE highlights that urban bus transportation recorded a 0.56% decline. This is due, according to the institute, to free or reduced fares on Sundays in São Paulo (0.44%) and El Salvador (0.36%), and on holidays in Brasilia (-3.30%), Belém (-3.41%), Belo Horizonte (-3.29%), and Curitiba (-1.46%).
Food and accommodation
In the food and beverage group, which recorded a 1.38% increase, household food prices rose from 1.77% in April to 1.73% in May. This result was contributed to by declines in apples (-2.32%) and ground coffee (-2.09%).
On the other hand, there were notable increases in the prices of potatoes (26.29%), tomatoes (12.97%), long-life milk (6.07%) and meat (1.98%).
Eating out (0.51%) slowed down compared to April (0.7%), due to changes in meals (0.57%) and snacks (0.37%), which, in the same month, had increased by 0.65% and 0.87% respectively.
Within the “housing” group, with an increase of 1.03%, residential electricity stands out, with an increase of 2.16%, as the main individual impact on the index.
LIBGE emphasizes that the yellow tariff band came into effect in May, with an additional charge of R$1,885 for every 100 kWh consumed.
Health
In the health and personal care sector (1.05%), the result was influenced by personal hygiene products (1.60%), pharmaceuticals (1.25%) and health insurance (0.5%).
According to the IBGE, the authorization to adjust drug prices by up to 3.81%, starting from April 1st, had an impact on the category.
Price tracking
The prices were all recorded between April 16 and May 15 and compared with those in effect from March 18 to April 15, 2026.
The indicator refers to families with an income between 1 and 40 minimum wages and covers the metropolitan areas of Rio de Janeiro, Porto Alegre, Belo Horizonte, Recife, São Paulo, Belém, Fortaleza, Salvador and Curitiba, as well as Brasilia and the municipality of Goiânia.