Riya Mala 
[Source: Parliament of the Republic of Fiji/ Facebook]
Fiji’s inflation data is now based on more accurate and up-to-date household spending patterns after the Consumer Price Index (CPI) was rebased to 2019.
The move follows the latest Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIS), aimed at better understanding how families manage living costs.
Finance Minister Esrom Immanuel told Parliament that the updated CPI provides a clearer picture of family spending and shows inflation has been negative for the past nine months.
[Finance Minister Esrom Immanuel]
He added that the 2025–2026 budget allocates $4.1 million to the Fiji Bureau of Statistics to carry out the new Household Income and Expenditure Survey, which will collect updated data on household income and expenditure.
The Minister explained that the five-yearly survey helps capture how families live, what they earn, and the challenges they face in meeting daily needs.
“The survey captures how households actually live, what they earn, how they spend, and the challenges they face in meeting their daily needs. In addition, the HIS provides updated and essential national statistics, including updated poverty lines and poverty estimates, multi-dimensional indicators of hardship, and revised CPI weights that make our inflation measures accurate and relevant.”
Assistant Minister for Education Iliesa Vanawalu asked about plans for a dedicated cost-of-living index.
Immanuel said Fiji does not yet have a standalone cost-of-living index but the government is working to improve measurement tools. He confirmed the current focus remains on compiling an accurate CPI.
The Household Income and Expenditure Survey is already underway and is expected to be completed next year.
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