National consumer prices pick up 2.1% in September on rising food prices

Consumer prices measured by the broader National Consumer Price Index picked up pace in September in a mirror image of how the Colombo prices changed for the same month.

- 

The prices rose by 2.1 percent in the twelve months through September 2025, picking up from 1.5 percent in the year through August 2025 in a sign that the broader consumer prices are going up in line with Central Bank’s expectations.

Measured on a monthly basis, the national consumer prices rose by 0.1 percent, turning from a negative 0.5 percent in August.

The Central Bank expects the prices to pick up pace after the country broke the nearly yearlong deflationary spiral a few months ago before reaching its medium term target of 5.0 percent by mid next year, in the absence of any supply side shocks.