The EU Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) for Ireland is estimated to have increased by 2.6% in the 12 months to January 2026 and decreased by 1.0% since December 2025.
This compares with HICP inflation of 2.7% in Ireland in the 12 months to December 2025 and an annual rise of 1.9% in the HICP for the Eurozone in the same period.
Looking at the components of the flash HICP for Ireland in January 2026, energy prices are estimated to have fallen by 0.8% in the month and were up by 0.3% over the 12 months to January 2026.
Food prices are estimated to have risen by 0.2% in the last month and increased by 3.9% in the last 12 months.
Excluding energy and unprocessed food, the HICP is estimated to have gone up by 2.7% since January 2025.
Eurostat will publish flash estimates of inflation from the EU HICP for the Eurozone for January 2026 on 04 February 2026.
| HICP Special Aggregate | Monthly % Change | Annual % Change |
|---|---|---|
| HICP excluding Energy and Unprocessed Food | -1.0 | 2.7 |
| Energy | -0.8 | 0.3 |
| Services | -1.1 | 3.3 |
| Non-Energy Industrial Goods | -1.9 | 1.0 |
| Food excluding Alcohol and Tobacco | 0.2 | 3.9 |
| Unprocessed Food | -0.1 | 5.8 |
| Processed Food | 1.0 | 2.6 |
| Food including Alcohol and Tobacco | 0.8 | 3.4 |
| HICP excluding Energy | -0.9 | 2.9 |
| HICP excluding Energy, Food, Alcohol and Tobacco | -1.3 | 2.7 |
| All Items HICP | -1.0 | 2.6 |
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is the official measure of inflation for Ireland and is published monthly by the CSO. The CPI release for January 2026 will be published on 19 February 2026 and the final results of the HICP for Ireland for January 2026 will be published as part of the CPI release.
The CPI and HICP for January 2026 will be published using a new classification scheme European Classification of Individual Consumption by Purpose Version 2 (ECOICOP Ver. 2). This will replace the existing ECOICOP classification. This change in classification scheme won't impact on the overall rate of the CPI or HICP. More information is available on the methodology page Update of CPI/HICP Classification to ECOICOP Ver.2.
The HICP is an index of consumer prices that has been harmonised to allow comparisons across Eurozone countries. The CSO compile the HICP flash estimates and final results for Ireland and submit those to Eurostat who then compile the Eurozone estimate and publish that along with the results for the countries within the Eurozone. While the final HICP results for the Eurozone are usually published by Eurostat around the middle of the month following the reference month, flash estimates are issued around the end of each reference month.
The Eurostat publication of flash estimate data can be found on the Eurostat website at 10am on 04 February 2026: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/main/home. Eurostat are expected to publish the final HICP results for the Eurozone for January 2026 at 10am on 25 February 2026.
| Anthony Dawson | (+353) 21 453 5521 |
|---|---|
| cpi@cso.ie |
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Statistician's Comment
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (30 January 2026) published the flash estimates of inflation from the EU Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) for Ireland for January 2026. Eurostat will publish the figures for the whole of the Eurozone, including Ireland, on 04 February 2026.
Commenting on the data published today, Anthony Dawson, Statistician in the Prices Division, said: “The latest flash estimate of the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP), compiled by the CSO, indicates that prices for consumer goods and services in Ireland are estimated to have increased by 2.6% in the past year. Looking at the components of the flash HICP in Ireland for January 2026, energy prices are estimated to have dropped by 0.8% in the month and gone up by 0.3% since January 2025. The HICP excluding energy and unprocessed food prices, is estimated to have risen by 2.7% since January 2025.
Food prices are estimated to have grown by 0.2% in the last month and increased by 3.9% in the last 12 months. Service prices have fallen by 1.1% in the month and risen by 3.3% in the 12 months to January 2026.
The corresponding rate for the Eurozone will be published on 04 February 2026. These flash estimates are subject to revision when the final HICP results are published next month (See Editor’s Note below).”