China overhauls consumer price basket, with never-before-seen unveiling of its composition

South China Morning PostEN 1 min read 100% complete by Carol YangFebruary 13, 2026 at 11:00 AM

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China has unveiled its revised consumer price index (CPI) basket for the first time, making significant changes to reflect shifting consumption patterns. The National Bureau of Statistics has reduced the weight of food prices from 25.5% to 17.2%, while increasing the weight of transport and communications to 14.3%. The basket now also includes new types of goods and services such as education, culture, and entertainment, with weights of 11.4% and 8.9% respectively. The changes aim to improve the representativeness of the CPI and accurately reflect consumer market prices. The revised basket reflects the growing influence of the digital economy on daily life, with a survey sample expanded to 120,000 outlets. These changes will help China steer its economy out of deflationary pressure while avoiding prolonged price increases.

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Japan 50% Beijing 70% National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) ×380% China ×290%

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consumer price index 100% cpi basket 90% price index 80% consumption 70% deflationary pressure 60% housing 50% food prices 50% digital economy 40% market prices 40%