Retail inflation based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) with base year of 2024 was recorded at 2.75 per cent, the Statistics Ministry reported on Thursday.
Here are the key headlights:
* The inflation rates for rural and urban are 2.73 per cent and 2.77 per cent, respectively.
* The year-on-year inflation rate based on the All India Consumer Food Price Index (CFPI) for the month of January, 2026 over January, 2025 is 2.13 per cent. Corresponding inflation rates for rural and urban are 1.96 per cent and 2.44 per cent, respectively.
* The year-on-year housing inflation rate for January 2026 is 2.05 per cent and the corresponding inflation rates for rural and urban are 2.39% and 1.92 per cent, respectively.
In the new series, weight of highly volatile food and beverages has been lowered to 36.8 from 45.9, while making adjustments in all other groups. Under the new series, prices are collected from 1,465 rural markets and 1,395 urban markets across 434 towns. To verify rural and urban samples, identification of markets, shops and mapping of item identification, a de novo market survey will be conducted.
To capture price movements on the e-commerce platform, 12 online markets/ towns (having more than 25 lakh population) have been added in the CPI 2024 series. The prices of items will be collected through online/ e-commerce platforms on a weekly basis, the report stated.
In case of gold and silver jewellery, the approach will be defining standard jewellery items that are likely to be available consistently in the market, rather than attempting to price customised pieces. Accordingly, prices of basic and simple gold and silver jewellery such as bangles, necklaces and rings will be collected.
At the all-India level, the number of weighted items has increased from 299 in CPI 2012 to 358 in CPI 2024. Within this, the number of goods items has increased from 259 to 308, while the number of services items has risen from 40 to 50, indicating enhanced coverage of service-related consumption.
The expanded item basket includes several new items reflecting structural changes in the economy and evolving consumer behaviour. Key additions are rural house rent, online media and streaming services (OTT platforms), international air fare as part of the airfare index, and modern energy sources such as Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Piped Natural Gas (PNG).
Published on February 12, 2026
