A flash estimate published by Statistics Netherlands (CBS) on 2 October put the consumer price index (CPI) 3.4% above its level in September 2025. The annual rate for August had been reported at 3.3%. CBS calculated the flash figure while some source price data were still incomplete, so it is a preliminary estimate rather than the final September CPI result. The statistical agency said the regular CPI figures for September would be published on 13 October. This account is limited to the official flash estimate available on 8 October and does not include that later release.

On a month-to-month basis, the flash estimate showed consumer prices rising 0.1% between August and September. That is a different comparison from the 3.4% annual rate. CBS cautions that seasonal influences matter when comparing adjacent months: clothing prices, for example, can temporarily fall during sales periods. Although prices in September were, on average, unchanged from August over the previous ten years, one monthly reading cannot by itself establish a lasting inflation trend.

The preliminary category figures showed sharply different movements. Energy, including motor fuels, was 13.9% more expensive than a year earlier; services rose 3.9%, and industrial goods excluding energy and motor fuels increased 1.5%. Prices for food, beverages and tobacco fell 1.2%, while the category for consumption abroad rose 7.7%. These are broad CBS expenditure groups, not individual product prices. The regular release may provide a more detailed breakdown and can revise the flash estimate.

CBS also estimated inflation under the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP), used for European comparisons, at 3.0%; the August HICP rate was 2.8%. CPI and HICP are separate series and should not be treated as interchangeable readings. CBS says the base year and classifications for both indices were updated in 2026. Historical comparisons should therefore be read alongside the documentation for the revised base and methodology.

The figures help track aggregate September price changes and the differing direction of energy, services and goods. They do not directly measure any one household’s personal inflation or the input costs of a business. Index weights reflect a representative consumption basket, while actual households have different spending patterns. A strong annual rise in an individual category does not translate one-for-one into the headline rate: category weights and movements elsewhere also determine the aggregate. The regular CPI bulletin due on 13 October could confirm or revise the flash estimate.