Changes in the calculation and publication of data on inflation
The prices of goods and services for personal consumption, measured by the consumer price index, according to a
flash estimate, increased by 3.4% on average in January 2026 compared to January 2025, whereas compared to December 2025, they increased by 0.3% on average.
According to the main index components (special aggregates), the estimated annual rate of change was 7.2% for Services, 3.7% for Energy, 3.0% for Food, beverages and tobacco, and 0.1% for Non-food industrial goods without energy.
An increase in the rate of change at the monthly level was estimated for Services, of 2.2%, Energy, of 1.8%, and Food, beverages and tobacco, of 1.0%, while a decrease in the rate was estimated for the component Non-food industrial goods without energy, of 3.4%.
The flash estimate data of the euro area harmonised index of consumer prices for January 2026 are available on the
Eurostat website, whereas the final consumer price index data for January 2026, as well as historical data series, according to the ECOICOP ver. 2 classification, will be released on 24 February 2026 in
PC-Axis databases.
Methodological changes from 2026
As previously
announced, with the publication of data for January 2026, several methodological changes are introduced in the calculation and publication of the national Consumer Price Index (CPI), the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) and the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices at Constant Tax Rates (HICP-CT).
All three indices are compiled according to the new
European Classification of Individual Consumption According to Purpose, version 2 (ECOICOP ver. 2), which is identical to the
UN COICOP 2018 classification. Additionally, games of chance are included in the calculation, and a new reference period for the calculation of indices is introduced, 2025 = 100.
More information about the changes is available
here.
News
