Inflation at 2.75 percent under the new CPI base
MOSPI’s updated inflation series shows food inflation at 2.13 percent for the same month, reflecting shifting consumption patterns
By Samreen Wani
Last Updated: Feb 12, 2026, 16:59 IST1 min
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India’s retail inflation stood at 2.75 percent in January, according to new government data based on the revised CPI series with 2024 as the base year.
Food inflation for the same month was 2.13 percent. Among the items with the highest inflation rates were silver jewellery at 159.67 percent and tomato at 64.8 percent. Coconut, diamond/gold and platinum jewellery, and coconut oil also had an inflation print over 40 percent.
Among the states, the southern states showed a higher inflation print—Telangana had the highest retail inflation at 4.92 percent, followed by Kerala at 3.67 percent, Tamil Nadu at 3.36 percent, Rajasthan at 3.17 percent and Karnataka at 2.99 percent.
The new CPI series features expanded market coverage and enhanced digital infrastructure to better capture evolving household spending patterns.
The most significant change in the inflation basket is the decline in the weight of food and beverages from 45.9 percent to 36.8 percent between 2012 and 2024—a 9.1 percentage point reduction reflecting rising incomes and diversifying consumption habits across Indian households.
Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels emerged as the second-largest gainers, with weights increasing from 16.9 percent to 17.7 percent. Notably, the house rent index compilation has been extended to rural areas for the first time, using Census 2011 data for dwelling type weights. The framework selects six rented dwellings per rural village compared to 12 per urban market.
Transport’s weight edged up marginally to 8.8 percent, while health increased to 6.1 percent, indicating growing household expenditure on mobility and healthcare. Conversely, education services declined from 4.5 percent to 3.3 percent.
First Published: Feb 12, 2026, 17:38
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