KUALA LUMPUR, February 20 — Malaysia’s inflation rose 1.6 per cent in January 2026, with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) increasing to 135.7 from 133.6 a year earlier, according to the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM).
Chief Statistician Mohd Uzir Mahidin said the rise was mainly driven by higher costs in personal care, social protection and miscellaneous goods and services, which grew 6.6 per cent year-on-year.
This was followed by education (3.2 per cent), housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels (1.2 per cent), and recreation, sport and culture (0.9 per cent), while food and beverages rose 1.5 per cent.
DOSM said 62 per cent of 573 items recorded price increases, although most rose by 10 per cent or less. Three states — Johor (2.1 per cent), Negeri Sembilan (2.0 per cent) and Pahang (1.9 per cent) — posted inflation above the national average.
While Kelantan recorded the lowest at 0.3 per cent. Compared with regional peers, Malaysia’s inflation was lower than Indonesia (3.6 per cent), Vietnam (2.5 per cent) and South Korea (2.0 per cent), but higher than Thailand’s negative 0.7 per cent rate.
