

In charts: How weights will change under the new CPI series
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. India is getting a new framework to measure retail inflation. Starting January 2026 inflation print, the country will shift to an updated Consumer Price Index (CPI) that better reflects how Indians spend their money today.
The new index, which will use 2024 as its base year, is built on spending patterns captured in the 2023-24 Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES), noted the statistics ministry on Thursday. The revamped CPI expands the number of major spending categories from six to 12, offering a more detailed picture of household consumption. The old “miscellaneous" group in the 2012 series, which accounted for everything from health to entertainment to personal care, has been broken into several other smaller divisions.
In total, the new basket tracks 358 items across 12 divisions, 43 groups, 62 classes, and 192 sub-classes. This is up from 299 items spread across six groups and 23 sub-groups in the 2012 series. The expanded structure follows international standards set by the Classification of Individual Consumption According to Purpose (COICOP) 2018.
The biggest shift in the new CPI series is the reduced weight given to food and beverages. In the 2012 series, food and beverages accounted for nearly 46% of the basket. That share will drop to 37% in the 2024 series.
Food alone, which had a weight of 39% in the old basket, will fall to 35%. This matters because food prices are among the most volatile components in inflation. When food costs spike– as they did through much of 2024 and 2025 – they can sway headline inflation sharply.
Read on livemint.com