Sri Lanka’s Inflation Rises to 2.1% in September

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka’s overall inflation, as measured by the National Consumer Price Index (NCPI), rose to 2.1% year-on-year in September 2025, up from 1.5% in August, according to the latest data released by the Department of Census and Statistics.

On a monthly basis, the year-on-year inflation of the food group increased to 3.8% in September from2.9% in August 2025, and the year-on-year inflation of the non-food group increased to 0.7% in September from 0.4% in August 2025.

The food category contributed 1.68 percentage points to the overall inflation, driven by price increases in:

Coconuts (+1.17%)
Milk powder (+0.44%)
Coconut oil (+0.31%)
Fresh fish, chicken, and vegetables

However, price drops in big onions, fresh fruits, eggs, and sugar helped offset some of the upward pressure.

In the non-food category, the 0.42 percentage point contribution came from rising costs in:

Education (+0.21%)
Health (+0.11%)
Housing and utilities (+0.15%)
Restaurants and hotels (+0.09%)

Transport costs, however, declined by 0.31%, mainly due to lower petrol and diesel prices.