Doha: The Consumer Price Index (CPI) in the State of Qatar reached 109.90 points in January 2026, showing a decrease of 2.22 percent compared to December 2025, while it demonstrated a year-on-year increase of 2.28 percent from January 2025. The CPI, which is a measure of inflation, is based on 12 main consumer goods groups and covers a total of 737 goods and services. It is calculated using the 2018 base year, with data derived from the Household Income and Expenditure Survey (2017-2018).

According to Qatar News Agency, the National Planning Council attributed the monthly decline to reductions in six groups. The "recreation and culture" group saw the most significant decline at 11.97 percent, followed by "miscellaneous goods and services" at 3.46 percent, "restaurants and hotels" at 1.90 percent, "clothing and footwear" at 1.15 percent, "food and beverages" at 0.59 percent, and "housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels" at 0.17 percent.

Conversely, increases were observed in other categories, with the "transport" group rising by 0.54 percent, the "communication" group by 0.32 percent, the "health" group by 0.27 percent, the "furniture and household equipment" group by 0.20 percent, and the "education" group by 0.06 percent. The "tobacco" group recorded no change during this period.

The annual rise when comparing January 2026 to January 2025 was fueled by increases across eight groups. "Miscellaneous goods and services" saw a rise of 12.40 percent, "recreation and culture" increased by 4.90 percent, "clothing and footwear" by 3.25 percent, "food and beverages" by 2.87 percent, "furniture and household equipment" by 2.37 percent, "education" by 2.08 percent, "housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels" by 1.21 percent, and "communication" by 0.40 percent.

However, declines on an annual basis were noted in three groups: "restaurants and hotels" decreased by 2 percent, "health" by 1.38 percent, and "transport" by 0.48 percent, with no change in the "tobacco" group. Excluding the "housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels" group, the CPI for January 2026 stood at 114.57 points, marking a decrease of 2.65 percent compared to December 2025, and an increase of 2.51 percent compared to January 2025.