January 27, 2026
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN – In 2025, the inflation rate recorded a 0.3 per cent decrease compared to a decrease of 0.4 per cent recorded in 2024, according to a report by the Department of Economic Planning and Statistics, Ministry of Economy and Finance.
This decline was driven by decreases of 0.3 per cent in both the Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages index and the Non-Food index.
The decrease in the Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages index was mainly attributed to lower prices of meat (2.3 per cent); milk, dairy products and eggs (1.1 per cent); and vegetables (0.6 per cent).
However, price increases were also recorded, particularly in prices of fruits (1.9 per cent); coffee, tea and cocoa (2.6 per cent); and oil and fats (1.3 per cent).
As for the Non-Food index, price decreases were recorded for Transport (0.8 per cent); Recreation and Culture (1.0 per cent); and Miscellaneous Goods and Services (0.5 per cent).
However, this decline was partially offset by price increases in restaurants and hotels (0.3 per cent); education (0.3 per cent); and clothing and footwear (0.4 per cent).
COMPARISON OF DECEMBER 2025 WITH DECEMBER 2024
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) in December 2025 registered a decrease of 0.7 per cent compared to December 2024, mainly driven by a 1.0 per cent decrease in the Non-Food index. Meanwhile, the Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages index increased by 0.5 per cent.
The decrease in the Non-Food index was mainly attributed to lower prices of Transport (1.9 per cent), due to air fare prices; Recreation and Culture (2.7 per cent), particularly the cost of online media streaming subscription services; and Clothing and Footwear (3.5 per cent), mainly clothing materials.
In contrast, the increase in the Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages index was mainly contributed by higher prices of fish and seafood (3.7 per cent), particularly fresh prawns; fruits (4.5 per cent), mainly fresh tropical fruits; and coffee, tea and cocoa (4.2 per cent).
COMPARISON OF DECEMBER 2025 WITH NOVEMBER 2025
On a month-on-month basis, the CPI in December 2025 increased by 0.3 per cent compared to November 2025. This increase was driven by rises in both the Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages index and the Non-Food index, which increased by 0.2 per cent and 0.3 per cent, respectively.
The increase in the Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages index was mainly driven by higher prices of fish and seafood (1.3 per cent); vegetables (1.7 per cent); and meat (0.4 per cent).
Meanwhile, the increase in the Non-Food index was primarily influenced by price increases in transport (2.5 per cent); restaurants and hotels (0.1 per cent); and health (0.2 per cent).
The CPI is a measure of price changes of a fixed basket of goods and services purchased by consumers in a specified period and compiled on a monthly basis.
The list of goods and services in the CPI is based on the average expenditure per household from the Household Expenditure Survey (HES).