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STATISTICAL RELEASE
P0141

Consumer Price Index
February 2026

Embargoed until:
18 March 2026
10:00

ENQUIRIES:
Andrew Rankhumise
Tel: 060 996 3240

FORTHCOMING ISSUE:
March 2026

EXPECTED RELEASE DATE:
22 April 2026

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Contents
Key findings .................................................................................................................................. 2
Detailed results ............................................................................................................................. 3
Table A – Consumer price index: Main indices ............................................................................................ 3
Table B – CPI headline ................................................................................................................................. 4
Table C – Contributions of the different groups to the annual percentage change in the CPI headline ...... 5
Table D – Contributions of the different groups to the monthly percentage change in the CPI headline .... 5
Table E – Consumer price indices for all urban areas ................................................................................. 6
Table F – Survey schedule for non-monthly surveys ................................................................................... 8

Glossary ........................................................................................................................................ 9
General information .................................................................................................................... 10

Consumer Price Index, February 2026

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Key findings
Headline consumer price index (CPI) for all urban areas
Annual consumer price inflation was 3,0% in February 2026, down from 3,5% in January 2026. The CPI
increased by 0,4% month-on-month in February 2026.
The main contributors to the 3,0% annual inflation rate were:
• housing and utilities (4,8% and contributing 1,1 percentage points);
• food and non-alcoholic beverages (3,7% and contributing 0,7 of a percentage point); and
• insurance and financial services (4,7% and contributing 0,5 of a percentage point) – see Table C and
Table E.
In February 2026, the annual inflation rate for:
• goods was 1,9%, down from 2,7% in January 2026; and
• services was 3,8%, down from 4,2% in January 2026 – see Table A.
Note: Not all items in the CPI are surveyed every month. Table F shows the survey schedule for items that
are not surveyed monthly. Additional surveys are conducted for these items when Statistics South Africa (Stats
SA) is aware of significant price changes outside regular survey months.

Risenga Maluleke
Statistician-General

Consumer Price Index, February 2026

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Detailed results
Table A – Consumer price index: Main indices1
Index (Dec 2024=100)
Group

Weight

Feb
2025

Jan
2026

Feb
2026

Feb
2026

vs.

vs.

Jan
2026

Feb
2025

All items (CPI Headline)

100,00

101,2

103,8

104,2

0,4

3,0

CPI excluding food and nonalcoholic beverages (NAB), fuel
and energy

74,53

101,3

103,6

104,3

0,7

3,0

..

100,8

102,8

103,2

0,4

2,4

CPI for all goods

48,37

100,9

103,1

102,8

-0,3

1,9

CPI for durable goods

7,66

100,4

99,0

99,0

0,0

-1,4

CPI for semi-durable
goods

5,84

100,4

100,8

100,9

0,1

0,5

CPI for non-durable goods

34,87

101,1

104,3

104,0

-0,3

2,9

CPI for services

51,63

101,6

104,4

105,5

1,1

3,8

CPI for administered
prices

12,90

101,6

104,1

103,3

-0,8

1,7

CPI excluding
administered prices

87,10

101,2

103,7

104,3

0,6

3,1

CPI for administered
prices excluding fuel and
paraffin

9,05

100,6

107,1

107,1

0,0

6,5

CPI excluding food and
NAB

81,77

101,3

103,6

104,1

0,5

2,8

CPI excluding fuel

96,20

101,1

104,0

104,6

0,6

3,5

CPI excluding food and
NAB and fuel

77,97

101,2

103,9

104,6

0,7

3,4

CPI excluding housing

75,90

101,6

103,4

104,0

0,6

2,4

CPI excluding fuel and
energy

92,76

101,2

103,8

104,4

0,6

3,2

CPI excluding energy

96,56

101,3

103,5

104,0

0,5

2,7

CPI excluding owners'
equivalent rent

88,84

101,4

103,8

104,3

0,5

2,9

..

101,5

104,2

104,8

0,6

3,3

CPI for total country

100,00

101,2

103,7

104,1

0,4

2,9

CPI for rural areas

11,44

101,0

103,4

103,4

0,0

2,4

Western
Cape

18,06

101,6

103,9

104,5

0,6

2,9

Eastern Cape

7,65

101,1

103,1

103,5

0,4

2,4

Northern
Cape

1,82

101,3

103,6

103,8

0,2

2,5

Free State

4,14

101,0

103,4

103,8

0,4

2,8

KwaZuluNatal

14,58

100,9

103,6

103,9

0,3

3,0

North West

5,38

101,5

104,2

104,4

0,2

2,9

Gauteng

35,87

101,2

103,8

104,2

0,4

3,0

Mpumalanga

6,41

100,9

103,4

103,6

0,2

2,7

Limpopo

6,09

101,2

104,5

104,3

-0,2

3,1

1

0,71

100,6

103,0

103,0

0,0

2,4

2

1,31

100,5

103,0

103,0

0,0

2,5

3

1,85

100,6

103,2

103,2

0,0

2,6

4

2,54

100,5

103,3

103,3

0,0

2,8

5

3,30

100,6

103,3

103,4

0,1

2,8

6

4,42

100,5

103,4

103,5

0,1

3,0

7

6,23

100,6

103,5

103,6

0,1

3,0

8

8,89

100,8

103,7

103,9

0,2

3,1

9

15,03

101,0

103,8

104,0

0,2

3,0

10

55,72

101,6

104,0

104,6

0,6

3,0

Trimmed mean
Analytical series

CPI for pensioners
Geographic indices

CPI per province

Deciles

1

% change
Feb
2026

CPI per expenditure decile

Unless otherwise stated the table refers to all urban areas.

Consumer Price Index, February 2026

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Table B – CPI headline
Table B1 – CPI headline index numbers (Dec 2024=100)
Year

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Average1

2022

86,3

86,8

87,7

88,2

88,8

89,8

91,1

91,3

91,4

91,7

92,0

92,3

89,8

2023

92,2

92,9

93,9

94,2

94,4

94,6

95,4

95,7

96,3

97,2

97,1

97,1

95,1

2024

97,2

98,1

98,9

99,1

99,3

99,4

99,8

99,9

100,0

99,9

99,9

100,0

99,3

2025

100,3

101,2

101,6

101,9

102,1

102,4

103,3

103,2

103,4

103,5

103,4

103,6

102,5

2026

103,8

104,2

..

..

..

..

..

..

..

..

..

..

..

Aug

Sep

Table B2 – CPI headline year-on-year rates
Year

1

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Oct

Nov

Dec

Average1

2022

5,7

5,7

5,9

5,9

6,5

7,4

7,8

7,6

7,5

7,6

7,4

7,2

6,9

2023

6,9

7,0

7,1

6,8

6,3

5,4

4,7

4,8

5,4

5,9

5,5

5,1

6,0

2024

5,3

5,6

5,3

5,2

5,2

5,1

4,6

4,4

3,8

2,8

2,9

3,0

4,4

2025

3,2

3,2

2,7

2,8

2,8

3,0

3,5

3,3

3,4

3,6

3,5

3,6

3,2

2026

3,5

3,0

..

..

..

..

..

..

..

..

..

..

..

Annual average.

Figure 1 – CPI headline index numbers and year-on-year rates

Consumer Price Index, February 2026

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Table C – Contributions of the different groups to the annual percentage change in the CPI headline
Group

Contribution (% point)
Jan 2026

Feb 2026

Food and non-alcoholic beverages

0,8

0,7

Alcoholic beverages and tobacco

0,2

0,2

Housing and utilities

1,2

1,1

Health

0,1

0,1

Transport

0,0

-0,3

Recreation, sport and culture

0,1

0,1

Education services

0,1

0,1

Restaurants and accommodation services

0,2

0,2

Insurance and financial services

0,7

0,5

Personal care and miscellaneous services

0,1

0,1

Residual

0,0

0,2

All items

3,5

3,0

Table D – Contributions of the different groups to the monthly percentage change in the CPI headline
Group

Contribution (% point)
Jan 2026

Feb 2026

Food and non-alcoholic beverages

0,1

-0,1

Transport

-0,1

-0,1

Restaurants and accommodation services

0,1

0,0

Insurance and financial services

0,1

0,4

Residual

0,0

0,2

All items

0,2

0,4

Consumer Price Index, February 2026

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Table E – Consumer price indices for all urban areas
Index (Dec 2024=100)
Group

Weight

Feb
2025

Jan
2026

Feb
2026

% change
Feb
2026

Feb
2026

vs.

vs.

Jan
2026

Feb
2025

All items (CPI Headline)

100,00

101,2

103,8

104,2

0,4

3,0

Food and non-alcoholic
beverages

18,23

100,8

104,8

104,5

-0,3

3,7

16,84

100,7

104,8

104,4

-0,4

3,7

Processed

7,73

101,0

105,0

104,3

-0,7

3,3

Unprocessed

9,11

100,4

104,6

104,5

-0,1

4,1

Cereal products

4,14

101,6

101,2

101,1

-0,1

-0,5

Meat

5,10

100,8

114,4

113,1

-1,1

12,2

Fish and other
seafood

0,43

101,0

103,8

104,0

0,2

3,0

Milk, other dairy
products and eggs

1,83

99,5

99,0

98,8

-0,2

-0,7

Oils and fats

0,82

100,3

104,7

104,3

-0,4

4,0

Fruits and nuts

0,62

100,5

92,5

93,3

0,9

-7,2

Vegetables

1,74

100,3

97,7

97,6

-0,1

-2,7

Sugar,
confectionery and
desserts

0,92

100,0

103,4

103,5

0,1

3,5

Other food

1,24

101,1

103,8

104,1

0,3

3,0

1,39

101,2

104,1

105,6

1,4

4,3

Hot beverages

0,39

102,1

110,0

110,0

0,0

7,7

Cold beverages

1,00

100,8

101,9

103,9

2,0

3,1

4,64

100,4

104,8

105,4

0,6

5,0

3,51

100,5

104,9

105,6

0,7

5,1

Spirits and liqueurs

0,77

100,9

103,3

103,6

0,3

2,7

Wine

0,97

100,5

104,8

105,0

0,2

4,5

Beer

1,77

100,3

105,6

106,9

1,2

6,6

1,13

100,1

104,7

104,8

0,1

4,7

3,90

100,2

101,3

101,4

0,1

1,2

Clothing

2,85

100,3

101,3

101,4

0,1

1,1

Footwear

1,05

100,1

101,4

101,5

0,1

1,4

24,10

100,1

104,9

104,9

0,0

4,8

Actual rentals for housing

4,37

100,0

103,7

103,7

0,0

3,7

Owners' equivalent rent

11,16

100,0

103,5

103,5

0,0

3,5

Maintenance and repair

0,64

99,9

103,8

103,7

-0,1

3,8

Water supply and
miscellaneous services

3,83

100,1

107,0

107,2

0,2

7,1

Electricity, gas and other
fuels

4,10

100,5

107,9

108,0

0,1

7,5

3,33

100,1

100,6

100,4

-0,2

0,3

Furniture, furnishings and
loose carpets

0,53

100,5

97,0

97,0

0,0

-3,5

Household textiles,
appliances, tableware and
equipment

0,97

99,8

97,3

96,8

-0,5

-3,0

1,83

100,2

103,3

103,3

0,0

3,1

1,52

100,0

103,8

103,8

0,0

3,8

1,78

102,8

105,2

107,3

2,0

4,4

Medicines and health
products

0,90

100,6

104,8

105,0

0,2

4,4

Health services

0,88

105,0

105,6

109,6

3,8

4,4

Food

Non-alcoholic beverages

Alcoholic beverages and
tobacco

Alcoholic beverages

Tobacco
Clothing and footwear

Housing and utilities

Furnishings, household
equipment and routine
maintenance

Goods and services for
routine household
maintenance
Health

Consumer Price Index, February 2026

Domestic services

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Table E – Consumer price indices for all urban areas (concluded)
Index (Dec 2024=100)
Group

Weight

Transport

Information and
communication

Recreation, sport and
culture

Personal care and
miscellaneous services

Feb
2026

vs.

vs.

Jan
2026

Feb
2025
-2,1

13,89

101,2

99,9

99,1

-0,8

5,61

100,8

101,3

101,3

0,0

0,5

Operation of personal
transport equipment

5,28

103,7

99,7

97,6

-2,1

-5,9

Fuel

3,80

104,8

97,2

94,2

-3,1

-10,1

Other goods and
services

1,48

100,9

106,0

106,3

0,3

5,4

Passenger transport
services

2,91

97,4

97,4

97,3

-0,1

-0,1

Transport services of goods

0,09

100,1

101,7

102,1

0,4

2,0

5,47

99,7

100,2

100,2

0,0

0,5

Information and
communication equipment

0,94

98,2

88,0

87,9

-0,1

-10,5

Information and
communication services

4,53

100,0

102,7

102,7

0,0

2,7

2,94

101,0

102,8

103,5

0,7

2,5

Recreational goods

0,78

99,4

99,2

99,2

0,0

-0,2

Recreational and cultural
services

1,85

101,5

104,6

105,1

0,5

3,5

Newspapers, books and
stationery

0,25

102,9

99,5

102,9

3,4

0,0

Package holidays

0,06

98,0

106,4

110,5

3,9

12,8

2,41

100,0

104,5

104,5

0,0

4,5

Primary and secondary

1,41

100,0

105,0

105,0

0,0

5,0

Tertiary

1,00

100,0

103,7

103,7

0,0

3,7

6,12

101,0

104,2

104,8

0,6

3,8

4,75

100,0

103,3

103,6

0,3

3,6

1,37

104,7

107,4

109,1

1,6

4,2

10,41

107,0

107,8

112,0

3,9

4,7

Insurance

8,41

107,7

107,4

112,6

4,8

4,5

Financial services

2,00

104,4

109,5

109,5

0,0

4,9

2,78

100,4

103,3

103,2

-0,1

2,8

Personal care

1,40

100,8

101,3

101,2

-0,1

0,4

Other services

1,38

100,0

105,3

105,3

0,0

5,3

Catering services
Accommodation services

Insurance and financial
services

Jan
2026

Feb
2026

Purchase of vehicles

Education services

Restaurants and
accommodation services

Feb
2025

% change
Feb
2026

Consumer Price Index, February 2026

Restaurants

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Table F – Survey schedule for non-monthly surveys
Quarterly
January, April, July and October

Satellite TV
Gym fees
Funeral expenses, funeral policies, gravestone,
membership fees for professional associations and trade
unions
Games of chance (quality adjusted monthly)

February, May, August and November

Hospitals

March, June, September and December

Actual rentals for housing, owners’ equivalent rent
Domestic services
Taxi, bus and train fares
Motor vehicle insurance
Inpatient care facilities
Clinic services

Biannual
January and July

Building insurance, household content insurance

May and November

Electricians, plumbers

Annual
February

General practitioners, gynaecologists, paediatricians,
physicians, orthopaedic surgeons, optometrists,
physiotherapists and pathology services
Health insurance

March

School and university tuition fees
Toll facilities
University boarding fees
Crèche fees
After school centres

July

Municipal charges for water supply, assessment rates,
electricity, sewage removal and refuse collection

Other
January, February, March, April, May, August,
September, October, November, December

Sports tickets

Additional surveys are conducted for these items when Stats SA is aware of significant price changes outside
regular survey months.

Consumer Price Index, February 2026

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Glossary1
Annual inflation rate /
inflation rate

The annual inflation rate is the change in the index of the relevant month
of the current year compared with the index of the same month in the
previous year expressed as a percentage. The inflation rate is the annual
change in the CPI for all items.

Annual percentage change

The annual percentage change is the change in the index of the relevant
month of the current year compared with the index of the same month in
the previous year expressed as a percentage.

Average annual inflation rate

The average annual inflation rate is the change in the average index of
one year compared with the average index of the previous year expressed
as a percentage.

Average annual percentage
change

The average annual percentage change is the change in the average
index of one year compared with the average index of the previous year
expressed as a percentage.

CPI for administered prices

An administered price refers to the price of a product or service set directly
or significantly influenced by the government, either directly or through its
agencies, without relying on market forces. This includes prices charged
by the private sector but controlled by the government.
Products and services included are water supply, refuse collection,
sewage removal, assessment rates, electricity, gas in cylinders, paraffin,
prescription medicine, dispensing fees, diesel, petrol, toll fees, motor
vehicle licence and registration fees, train fares, local bus fares, primary
education (public), secondary education (public), tertiary education
(public) and university boarding fees.

CPI per expenditure decile

Decile 1 – up to R35 864
Decile 2 – R35 865 up to R51 168
Decile 3 – R51 169 up to R64 855
Decile 4 – R64 856 up to R80 320
Decile 5 – R80 321 up to R97 976
Decile 6 – R97 977 up to R120 028
Decile 7 – R120 029 up to R150 774
Decile 8 – R150 775 up to R202 419
Decile 9 – R202 420 up to R307 885
Decile 10 – R307 886 and more

Monthly percentage change

The monthly percentage change is the change in the index of the relevant
month compared with the index of the previous month expressed as a
percentage.

Respondent response rate

The respondent response rate for February 2026 was 98,9%. The rate
was calculated by means of the total number of outlets where prices were
collected as a percentage of the total sample.

Rural CPI

The rural CPI is compiled using data from rural and urban areas in
accordance with the purchasing patterns of rural residents.

Historical data

Historical CPI data are available on the Stats SA webpage. Click on the
following link (Time series data) to access the data electronically.

1 A complete set of definitions is available in the sources and methods document on the Stats SA website:

https://www.statssa.gov.za/?page_id=16474.

Consumer Price Index, February 2026

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Expected release date
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17 June 2026

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Consumer Price Index, February 2026