By: Omar Silva I Editor/Publisher

National Perspective Belize I Digital 2025

www.nationalperspectivebz.com

Editorial

Belize City; Saturday 30th August 2025: The Statistical Institute of Belize reported that consumer prices rose 1.2% in July, driven mainly by food, housing, electricity, gas, and water. On paper, it looks like a “modest uptick.”

But when you pair July’s 1.2% with June’s 1.1%, the picture becomes clearer: inflation is steady and compounding. And over the last five years under the Briceno Administration, the cost of living has climbed relentlessly — far outpacing wage growth, especially for the working poor.

Food & Beverages: Stew pork, grapefruit, and carrots spiked by double digits. Non-alcoholic beverages, meats, and staples remain persistently high.

Housing & Utilities: Rent and LPG continue to pressure households, with a 100-lb cylinder up by $13 in June and still elevated in July.

Transport & Communication: Minor reductions in fuel and telecom costs softened the index slightly, but not enough to ease household realities.

The Bigger Picture: Belizeans don’t feel a “mild uptick.” They feel the weight of five years of rising rents, groceries, and utilities, with no government solution in sight. A $6 minimum wage doesn’t stretch when every cylinder of LPG, every pound of meat, and every room rent climbs higher each month.

What the CPI frames as mild, the people live as crushing.

CONSUMER PRICES EDGE UP AGAIN

June: +1.1%

July: +1.2%

WHAT’S DRIVING THE HIKES?

Stew pork, grapefruit, carrots → double-digit increases

Rent, water, electricity, gas → still climbing

Transport & communication → dipped slightly

THE REALITY:

Over 5 years under the Briceno Administration, inflation has quietly compounded. Belizeans aren’t living a “mild uptick” — they’re living a steady squeeze with no solution in sight.