Sri Lanka’s inflation drops further to -4.0% in January 2025

Lotus Tower in Colombo, Sri Lanka

(Photo by Christoph Theisinger on Unsplash)

The overall inflation rate, as measured by the National Consumer Price Index (NCPI) on a year-on-year (Y-o-Y) basis, declined to -4.0% in January 2025, compared to -2.0% in December 2024, according to the latest data released by the Department of Census and Statistics.

Food inflation also saw a decline, reaching -2.5% in January 2025, compared to -1.0% in December 2024.

The NCPI for all items in January 2025 stood at 206.4, reflecting an increase of 1.8 index points (0.88%) compared to December 2024, when the index was 204.6. This increase corresponds to a rise of Rs. 913.08 in the market basket’s expenditure value.

The report further states that:

  • The year-on-year inflation for the food group declined to -2.5% in January 2025, down from -1.0% in December 2024.
  • The year-on-year inflation for the non-food group decreased to -5.2% in January 2025, compared to -2.9% in December 2024.