China’s National Bureau of Statistics said on 10 September that the consumer price index rose 0.8% in August from a year earlier. The increase was 0.8% in urban areas and 0.7% in rural areas. Food prices fell 1.4% year on year, while non-food prices rose 1.2%. Prices for consumer goods and services each increased 0.8% on the year. Across January to August, the average CPI was 0.9% higher than in the same period of 2025. The figures show different movements across the broad groups that make up household consumption, rather than a uniform change in the cost of every item.

On a monthly basis, the overall index rose 0.4%. The combined category of food, tobacco, liquor and dining out increased 0.3%. Fresh vegetable prices rose 5.5% from July and eggs rose 2.0%, while fresh fruit prices fell 2.5%. In the annual comparison, pork prices were down 11.8%, whereas egg prices were up 15%. These opposing movements help explain why an aggregate rate cannot describe the experience of every household or product category. CPI measures consumer prices; it is distinct from producer-price measures and does not represent the exact change in any one family’s spending bill.