Qatar's National Planning Council (NPC) released the consumer price index for July 2026 on September 29 and announced a methodology update. The index stood at 102.78 points using the new 2024=100 base and rose 0.71% from June. The new series replaces the previous 2018 base, so its index level should not be spliced directly onto the old series. The Council also moved to the COICOP 2018 consumption classification and revised the basket and spending weights using findings from the 2023/2024 Household Income and Expenditure Survey.

Price movements differed across groups in July. Recreation, sport and culture recorded the largest monthly increase, at 9.15%; restaurants and accommodation services rose 1.35%, and health increased 1.23%. Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels fell 0.64%; clothing and footwear declined 0.39%; and information and communication slipped 0.19%. Tobacco and beverages, and insurance and financial services, were unchanged from the previous month. Excluding housing and energy, the CPI measured 104.66 points and increased 1.22% month on month. The group figures describe different components of the same weighted index.

Editorial analysis: The new base and expenditure weights are intended to make the index reflect current household spending patterns. They do not mean every price paid by consumers rose 0.71% in July. CPI aggregates many goods and services with weights; a household's experience can differ when its spending mix differs from the statistical basket. The faster increase in the measure excluding housing and energy indicates those groups pulled the headline result lower in this month, but that comparison alone cannot establish the actual effect on household budgets or explain its causes.

When comparing a rebased series over time, readers should use any historical values recalculated and published by NPC. Joining old 2018-base observations directly to the level of the new 2024 series can create an artificial jump or decline. This release reports a monthly change; this account does not derive an annual inflation rate or a seasonally adjusted movement from it. A single month is not enough to establish a trend or forecast. Later monthly releases can show whether price changes are broad or concentrated in a few volatile groups. This report keeps to the period and method stated in the source.