Jan CPI eases to 3.5%, food and fuel prices stabilise
Consumer inflation edged down to 3.5% in January, from 3.6% in December.
This while the CPI increased by 0.2% month-on-month.
ALSO READ: Consumer inflation ends the year at 3.6%
Stats SA's Patrick Kelly says South Africa’s headline inflation rate has returned to its November 2025 level, supported by stable food prices and lower fuel costs.
He said food inflation remained steady at 4.4% for a third consecutive month.
“The annual rate for cereal products slowed significantly in January, declining to North 0.6% from 2.1% in December. White rice recorded a drop of 11% representing an 11th consecutive month of deflation. Maize meal inflation declined notably from 9.5% in December to 2.6% in January.”
Dairy and eggs continued to show price declines.
Eggs fell 7.6% year-on-year, while both full-cream and low-fat milk recorded annual decreases.
“This is higher than December's -1.1%, fresh full cream milk at - 1.4%. Fresh low fat milk at -1.6%, and eggs at - 7.6% contributed to the deflationary trend.”
The milk, dairy products and eggs category registered an annual rate of negative 0.5 percent
However, beef products recorded some of the sharpest increases in the CPI basket, with beef steak rising 31.2% year-on-year.
Kelly says fuel prices provided some relief, with the fuel index declining by 3.7% over the past 12 months.
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