The food price inflation rate in Egypt rose to 9.6 percent in May compared to the year before, reported the Central Agency for Public Mobilization & Statistics (CAPMAS) on Monday.

The Bureau of Statistics released figures stating that the consumer price inflation leapt to nine percent on an annual basis and eased by 0.2 percent on a monthly basis.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) expects the inflation rate in Egypt to reach 10.9 percent, marking a 3-year high and exceeding earlier expectations announced by the IMF.

Egypt has been suffering from an energy crisis, a decline in foreign exchange reserves and a slowing economy due to political turmoil since the toppling of former President Hosni Mubarak in 2011.