“WPI Inflation Turns Positive at 0.83% in December 2025”
Wholesale inflation rebounds after two months of deflation, driven by higher prices of manufactured goods, minerals and food articles
India, Jan 14 : Wholesale price based inflation returned to positive territory in December 2025, with the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) rising to 0.83 per cent year on year, according to data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry on Wednesday.
The latest reading marks a clear reversal from the deflationary trend observed in the previous two months. The ministry attributed the rise in wholesale inflation primarily to higher prices of manufactured products, minerals, machinery and equipment, food products, and textiles.
On a month-on-month basis, the WPI for all commodities increased by 0.71 per cent to 157.0 in December, compared to 155.9 in November.
Manufactured products, which carry the highest weight of 64.23 per cent in the index, recorded an annual inflation of 1.82 per cent in December, up from 1.33 per cent in the previous month. Thirteen of the 22 manufacturing groups registered price increases, led by basic metals, chemicals, textiles and other manufactured goods.
Primary articles posted a marginal annual inflation of 0.21 per cent, recovering sharply from a contraction of 2.93 per cent in November. Prices of non-food articles, minerals and food articles contributed to the improvement, even as crude petroleum and natural gas prices declined on a monthly basis.
The fuel and power segment, however, remained in deflationary territory, with inflation at minus 2.31 per cent year-on-year. This was despite a month-on-month increase of 1.23 per cent, driven by higher electricity, coal and mineral oil prices.
Meanwhile, the WPI Food Index rose to 196.0 in December from 195.0 in November. Food inflation eased to 0.00 per cent, compared to minus 2.60 per cent in the previous month, indicating stabilisation of food prices at the wholesale level.
The ministry noted that the December WPI figures are provisional and based on a weighted response rate of 82.7 per cent. The final index for October 2025 pegged inflation at minus 1.02 per cent, with revisions to be made as per established policy.
