The Consumer Price Index increased by 0.6% for the twelve months ending September 2025. The marginal increase was attributed to increases in nine of the twelve major categories. The indexes for Education, Restaurants and Hotels, Health and Alcoholic Beverages, Tobacco and Narcotics were primarily responsible for the change in the September 2025 index.

The index for Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages increased by 0.3 over the twelve-month period. The index for Food rose 0.1%, while the index for Non-Alcoholic Beverages increased by 1.1%. Within the Food index, the indices for Vegetables, Bread and Cereals, and Food Products N.E.C. contributed primarily to the increase. The index for Vegetables rose 6.2% with all three subcategories increasing. The index for Frozen, Preserved, or Processed Vegetables had the largest increase, at 9.2%. The Index for Bread and Cereals rose 1.2% with the index for Other Cereals, Flour and Other Products and Rice increased 4.4% and 1.4% respectively.

Contrary to the increases, the indexes for Fish and Seafood, Fruit and Milk, Cheese and Eggs had the largest negative impact on the Food inflation. The index for Fish and Seafood fell 7.4%, while the indexes for Fruit and Milk Cheese and Eggs declined 5.3% and 2.5% respectively.

The index for All Items Less Food and Energy rose by 0.8%. The increase was influenced by increases in the indexes for Education (+13.1%), Restaurants and Hotels (+9.7%) and Communication (+1.5%).

What is the consumer price index (CPI) measuring and how is it done?

The All Items Consumer Price Index (CPI) is the main measure of what is commonly called inflation, or headline inflation. It measures the change in prices, on average, from month to month, and from year to year of the goods and services bought by most households.

Prices are collected monthly and quarterly from supermarkets and other suppliers of goods and services. The pattern of household expenditure on these goods and services is derived from a regular household budget (or expenditure) survey (HBS). The prices and spending patterns (known as weights) are then combined to calculate the price indices for groups of goods and services and for the All Items index. These indices are based on expenditure patterns in 2006.

The All Items (or overall) index, with all of its twelve (12) component indices, is published each month.

For a detailed account of the methodology used in calculating the CPI, please call the National Bureau of Statistics.

St John’s Antigua, December 23, 2025. The Statistics Division, under the Ministry of Finance and Corporate Governance releases the CPI for Sep 2025

Copies of the CPI for Sep 2025 can be accessed on the National Bureau of Statistics website www.statistics.gov.ag

In September 2025, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) declined by 0.3 % when compared to August 2025. The Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages Index fell by 0.1% over the month. All Items Less Food and Energy declined by 0.4% over the same one-month period.

The Food Index saw a slight increase of 0.1%. Four out of the nine major supermarket food groups recorded increases over the one month period. The Food index increase was primarily driven by: Vegetables (+2.6%), Meat and Meat Products (+1.6%) and Bread and Cereals (+1.2%). In contrast, the index for Fish and Seafood Meat declined 4.8% while the indexes for Mik Cheese and Eggs and Oil and Fats declined 3.9% and 3.4% respectively.

The Non-Alcoholic Beverage Index decreased by 1.1%, driven by a 16.1% decrease in the index for Coffee, Tea and Cocoa.

The index for All Items less Food and Energy had a marginal decline of 0.4% over the month. The decrease was caused primarily by a decline in the index for Transport Services (-12.6%) and Actual Rentals for Housing, which declined by 0.3%.

Issued by:
Statistics Division
Ministry of Finance and Corporate Governance