WPI inflation rises to 10-month high of 1.81% in January on costlier manufactured goods

The Wholesale Price Index (WPI)-linked inflation stood at 1.81% in January, rising to a 10-month high from 0.83% in December 2025, according to data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

The month-on-month change in WPI for January 2026 stood at 0.51% compared to December 2025.

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The positive rate of inflation in January 2026 was primarily due to an increase in the prices of manufactured basic metals, other manufactured products, non-food articles, food articles, and textiles, among others, the ministry added.

The Food Index, consisting of ‘Food Articles’ from the Primary Articles group and ‘Food Products’ from the Manufactured Products group, decreased from 196.0 in December 2025 to 194.2 in January 2026. However, the rate of inflation (year-on-year), based on the WPI Food Index, increased to 1.41% in January 2026.

Inflation in Manufactured Products, which carry the highest weight of 64.23% in the index, rose to 2.86% in January 2026, compared to 1.82% in December 2025. The index for manufactured goods increased to 147.5, up from 145.6 in December.

The Fuel and Power category continued to show deflation, with inflation at (-4.01%) in January 2026. The index for the group declined to 145.9 from 148.3 in December, reflecting lower prices of electricity and mineral oils.

Last week, data from the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) showed that India’s retail inflation eased to 2.75% in January 2026. The inflation rate is based on the newly introduced Consumer Price Index (CPI) series with the base year 2024.

Rural inflation stood at 2.73%, while urban inflation was marginally higher at 2.77%, reflecting stable price trends across both segments.