Lebanon food prices become MENA’s most expensive: World Bank

Lebanon food prices become MENA’s most expensive: World Bank

Lebanon's food prices have become the highest in the Middle East and North African region, as inflation rates continued to soar amid one of the country's worst economic crises to date, according to the World Bank.

In the World Bank's periodic assessment of the repercussions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic on food price inflation in the MENA region, they found that between Feb. 14, 2020 and March 8, 2021, prices surged across all food categories.

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The country's inflation rate in 2020 rose to almost 85 percent, Lebanese newspaper The Daily Star reported, adding that it hit its highest point since 1992.

By the end of 2020, inflation stood at 145.8 percent.

The World Bank assessed food prices of five main food categories in 19 different countries across the region, including carbohydrates, fruits, meats, dairy products and vegetables.

Fresh and frozen cattle meat prices jumped by 110 percent during the assessment period, indicating the highest increase in price for this item in the region. Lebanon, Syria, and Djibouti were the only three countries to record a rise of over 35 percent in this category. The average price increase in this category across