In January 2023, CBS will start publishing the CPI a few days earlier. Why is that, and what does it mean?

The regular figures for both the CPI and the HICP (harmonised index of consumer prices) are usually published between the first and second Thursdays of the month following the reporting month. CBS publishes an initial calculation of the HICP a few days earlier than the CPI, usually on the last working day of the reporting month and at the same time as Eurostat publishes its own calculation.
We realise that publishing two different inflation figures close together can cause confusion, so we have decided to publish an initial, provisional calculation of both the CPI and HICP for December 2022 on 6 January 2023. This calculation will be based on data that is still incomplete.
The publication of the regular figures will remain the same, and both the provisional and the regular publications will centre around the CPI. You can read more about this in the article ‘“Flash estimate” of the consumer price index’.