The Fiji Bureau of Statistics’ consumer price release of 1 October 2026 recorded an all-items index of 117.6 for September. That was 0.4% below the August index of 118.1. The release also reported two distinct annual comparisons: a 6.8% change against September 2025 and a 1.9% change in the average index for October 2025 to September 2026 against the preceding 12-month average, October 2024 to September 2025.

The Bureau’s phrase “average annual rate of inflation” refers to a comparison of two 12-month average index levels, not a comparison of one month with the same month a year earlier. The calculation compares the average CPI from October 2025 through September 2026 with the average from October 2024 through September 2025. The 1.9% figure therefore does not, by itself, describe September’s price movement or the September-to-September annual rate. This distinction matters when interpreting inflation figures reported using different windows.

The release labels the 6.8% comparison under “month-on-month inflation rate,” but its accompanying text explicitly compares September 2026 with September 2025. It is therefore a year-over-year change, not a monthly movement. The actual month-to-month comparison is shown separately: the September index declined 0.4% from August. Readers should follow the stated comparison dates, because the heading’s wording could otherwise lead to an incorrect description of the 6.8% rate.

An index level of 117.6 does not mean that prices rose by 117.6%. Fiji’s national CPI series uses the average of the 12 months of 2019 as its base, set to 100.0. The September level shows where the index stands relative to that base period, while the 0.4% figure measures its change from August. An index point and a percentage change are different units and should not be used interchangeably.

The Bureau compiles the CPI to indicate average changes in the prices of goods and services purchased by households. Monthly price collection takes place in urban areas of Suva, Lami, Nasinu, Nausori, Lautoka, Nadi, Ba, and Labasa. The Bureau currently takes these observations to represent price changes in rural areas as well. This coverage note explains how the index is presented nationally while prices are not directly observed separately in every Fijian settlement.

CPI weights are derived from the Fiji Household Income and Expenditure Survey for 2019/20. The weights are intended to represent the relative importance of different goods and services in household budgets. The CPI therefore tracks changes in a weighted consumption basket, rather than the price of a few products or a simple average of shop prices. This design means that individual prices can move in different directions while the overall index follows its own weighted pattern.

The September release highlights the decline in the national all-items index from 118.1 to 117.6 and the two annual rates. These indicators should be read with their comparison windows kept clear: minus 0.4% month over month, 6.8% from September to September, and a 1.9% change in the 12-month average. The rates cannot be added together, and one does not confirm or invalidate another; each is calculated from index observations covering a different period.

This publication concerns consumer prices; it does not directly measure household income, wages, quantities purchased, or the cost of living for a particular family. Since household budgets and shopping choices differ, individual experiences can diverge from the national basket. The source explains the collection locations, rural representation, expenditure weights from 2019/20, and the index base. This report limits itself to the rates in the September 2026 release and the reference periods used to calculate them.