New data released by the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) has shown that the Combined Prime Building Cost Index (PBCI) which measures how the overall cost of constructing buildings changes over time went up by 4.6 percent year on year for August 2026.

The Combined Prime Building Cost Index tracks the prices of key construction inputs such as building materials, labour, and equipment over time, indexed to the 2023 base year.

“In simple terms, the Combined Prime Building Cost Index shows whether it is becoming more expensive or cheaper to build compared to a previous period”, the report said.

The is used by key stakeholders including investors, developers, contractors, and policy makers to negotiate contracts, adjust bids, budget effectively, and monitor inflation trends in the building sector. 

The year-on-year inflation rate as measured by the Combined Prime Building Cost Index was 4.6 percent in August 2026 up from 4.0 percent in July 2026.

At the group level, the Labour group inflation rate recorded a year-on-year inflation rate of -2.9 percent in August 2026 up from -3.2 in July 2026.

The Material group recorded a year-on-year inflation rate of 5.8 percent in August 2026 up from 5.1 percent in July 2026 while the Plant group recorded a year-on-year inflation rate of 17.9 percent down from 18.0 percent in July 2026.

At the sub-group level, Plumbing recorded the highest year-on-year inflation rate of 26.1 percent while the sub-group Steel recorded the lowest year-on-year inflation rate of -8.9 percent. Fourteen sub-groups out of the 23 sub-groups recorded inflation rate above the national average of 4.6 percent.