Consumer price index from 2026

In 2026, some changes have taken place to the way in which the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and the European Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) are calculated and published. It is customary to change the reference year for the CPI and HICP periodically, and this change generally occurs once every ten years. The change to the reference year and the other changes relate to the series for which the reference year is 2025 (i.e. 2025=100). There will be no change to the series on inflation that has already been published with 2015 as reference year (i.e. 2015=100).

Here is a summary of the main changes:

• The most obvious change will be the change of the reference year for the CPI and HICP from 2015=100 to 2025=100. 
• A new system of classifying goods and services will be introduced: the ECOICOPv2. This is relevant for users of the detailed data.
• Some changes have been made to the methodology used for the CPI. These relate to holiday centres and package holidays; nursing homes; games of chance; and the price definition of personal contributions for health care and child care. 

Section 2 provides advice on how to use the old and new series for indexing purposes. Previously published figures with the reference year 2015=100 remain available, but this series will no longer be supplemented with new reporting periods.

Section 3 describes the reason for the changes, and explains these in further detail. One important factor is the need for alignment with international definitions and the methods of the HICP. As in 2016, the 2026 changes will eliminate a number of differences. An explanation is also provided as to why the CPI is not yet fully aligned with international definitions. Finally, Section 5 discusses the revision strategy and the recalculation of years already published on the basis of the new ECOICOPv2.

Consumer price index figures are often used to adjust contracts and to adjust fees and charges. In this section, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) provides guidance on the use of the various index series that are available.

With effect from February 2026, a new CPI series based on 2025=100 will become available.

The 2015=100 series is discontinued with effect from the reporting month December 2025, but previously published figures will remain available. In a limited number of cases, the 2025=100 series produces different figures for the changes in the indices compared with the figures previously published on the basis of the 2015=100 series.

In cases where regulations or contracts specify that the consumer price index (CPI) figure is to be used, CBS recommends using the CPI series and not the HICP series, unless the use of the European harmonised consumer price index is explicitly stipulated.

When choosing between using the old and new CPI series, CBS advises the following: 

• Use the 2015=100 series to determine the price change over a period that ends in or before the year 2025.
• Use the 2025=100 series to determine the price change over a period that ends in or after January 2026.

A separate webpage is available on the CBS website with a more detailed explanation of indexations (in Dutch only): Indexations for new contracts | CBS 

Examples: 

• You wish to adjust a contract based on price changes between October 2024 and October 2025 based on the CPI. Use the figures from the 2015=100 series.
• You wish to adjust a contract based on price changes between the year 2024 and the year 2025 based on the CPI. Use the figures from the 2015=100 series.
• You wish to adjust a contract based on price changes between May 2025 and May 2026 based on the CPI. Use the figures from the 2025=100 series.
• You wish to adjust a contract based on price changes between May 2023 and May 2026 based on the CPI. Use the figures from the 2025=100 series.

The methods used for the 2025=100 series will differ from those used for the 2015=100 series in some respects.

In general, when compiling national statistics, CBS seeks consistency with EU definitions and methods. CBS only deviates from these when there is a good reason to do so. With effect from 2026, the price definition of personal contributions to health care and child care used in the CPI will match those used in the HICP. The COICOP category of nursing homes is added to the CPI. This brings the CPI more closely in line with the HICP than previously.

Like the HICP, the CPI will switch to the new index reference year of 2025 and be based on the updated expenditure categories. However, there will continue to be some important differences between the two series, such as the cost of owner occupied housing (OOH). The main reason for this is that the way in which OOH is handled in the HICP is still under discussion.

The changes in 2026

The following changes are made to the CPI and HICP in 2026:

• The reference year for the series moved from 2015 to 2025; i.e. from 2015=100 to 2025=100.
• The classification of expenditure has changed in accordance with ECOICOPv2. This classification corresponds broadly to the UN’s COICOP 2018 classification, and is an adaptation to European statistical requirements.
• New methods and sources are used for package holidays and holiday centres.
• A new category of games of chance is added.

The following changes apply to the CPI only:

• With effect from 2026, the price definition of personal contributions for health care and child care used in the CPI will match those used in the HICP.
• Nursing homes are added to the CPI as an expenditure category.
• The sewage treatment charge no longer fall under consumption-related taxes, and has moved to the COICOP category 044310 Sewage collection through sewer systems.

The following changes will only apply to the HICP:

• The sewage treatment charge is introduced into to the COICOP category 044310 Sewage collection through sewer systems.

The changes are discussed in detail below.

Reference year 2025=100

The reference year for all indices is 2025, and the index series is rescaled to 2025=100. This is a matter of conversion: from the existing series, all results will be multiplied by 100 and divided by the average value of the index in 2025.

However, the other changes, particularly the introduction of ECOICOPv2, will lead to a number of practical complexities. Pre-2025 are converted to the new classification wherever possible, so that the chained series are also available at a detailed level. The section on publication in practice discusses the recalculation of the results.

The main purpose of the indices is to enable comparison between two different periods of time and measure the price change between them. Because the indices will be rescaled by the same factor in both periods, there will essentially be no effect on the monthly and annual inflation rates.

In any case, the official Dutch inflation figures for 2025 and earlier will not change. This series is always based on the CPI index series that was in use for a given reporting period at the time of publication. The inflation figures for 2025 and all previous years dating back to the previous change of reference year will continue to be based on the 2015=100 series.

Inflation rates calculated using the new 2025=100 series may differ from inflation rates calculated using the 2015=100 series in places. These differences are due to the retroactive implementation of methodological changes in the new series. These changes have not been implemented for the 2015=100 series. There is a more detailed discussion of this in section 5.

Introduction of ECOICOPv2

Consumer price index figures around the world are based on the classification of goods and services established by the United Nations: the Classification of Individual Consumption by Purpose (COICOP-UN). The latest European system of classification, ECOICOPv2 (European Classification of Individual Consumption by Purpose), is based on this and is introduced in 2026 for the HICP.

In ECOICOPv2, new types of products and services are classified more clearly than they were in ECOICOP. The new classification also reflects changing consumption patterns better. This relates primarily to the categories of communications and audiovisual services and goods. These include products such as streaming services, online subscriptions and delivery fees. 

Changes with respect to ECOICOP include:

• Information and communications (division 08) now includes goods and services that were previously part of Recreation and culture (division 09), such as television sets and streaming services.
• Division 12 Miscellaneous goods and services was too diverse. Under the new classification, a number of categories have been transferred and there are now separate divisions for 12 Insurance and financial services and 13 Personal care, social protection and miscellaneous goods and services.
• The distinction between non-durable, semi-durable and durable goods on the one hand, and services on the other hand, has been improved.

Meat

The ECOICOP classification 011200 has been further subdivided by animal species with the addition of the subclasses of beef and veal (011210) or pork (011220), for example. Although the level of detail of the ‘6th digit’ has been discontinued in ECOICOPv2, an exception has been made for meat in the European publication package. This allows for differentiation by species. CBS will adopt this for both its HICP and CPI publications and publish this level of detail as microclasses.

The CPI and ECOICOPv2

The CPI will be based on ECOICOPv2 wherever possible. Because the scope of the CPI differs slightly from the scope of the HICP, there will continue to be some minor differences between the HICP and the CPI. The main differences involve consumption-related taxes, contributions and consumption abroad. The introduction of ECOICOP v.2 means that division 13 Consumption-related taxes changes to division 14 Consumption-related taxes and membership fees. The delineation of what constitutes a government service and what constitutes a consumption-related tax in the CPI will be brought into line with the rules for the HICP. For the change to 2025=100, this means that the sewage treatment charge group is now part of class 044310 Sewage collection through sewer systems. In the 2025=100 index series, consumption-related taxes will consist of road tax (141100) and water management levy (141200). Contributions form a separate group in the 2025=100 series. Previously, these were part of two different COICOP categories: 094130 Contributions to sports and leisure associations and 127040 Other payments and services. With the introduction of the new classification, there is only one group (142000 membership fees) without any further differentiation by type of contribution. Consumption abroad falls into the range of the CPI but not the HICP, and is now indicated by code 150000. This was also the case in the 2015=100 series, but in that case the code used was 140000.

Holiday centres package holidays

For the price index for holiday centres,  a switch from website prices to the actual prices paid, as well as a change to a different type of price index has been introduced. A new method will be introduced for the price index for package holidays. This method will take seasonal patterns into account better. In the past, the prices of unavailable package tours, such as winter sports holidays, were included in the index calculation unchanged. However, this is inconsistent with Eurostat’s regulations on seasonal products and services. The new method will take account of the number of package holidays sold per month, and thus be compliant with the European regulations.

Games of chance

Games of chance are part of both ECOICOP and ECOICOPv2. No price indices were calculated for this expenditure category for the HICP in the past because there was insufficient consensus among national statistical offices in the EU on the proper method for doing this. CBS has also adopted this practice for the CPI.  Meanwhile, an agreement has been reached and the Games of chance category will be added to both the HICP and the CPI. For the HICP, this has taken effect in reporting year 2026, while for the CPI it has taken effect from the January 2025 reporting month onwards, but only for the 2025=100 series. Prices for this category will be calculated in a different manner. This is because the stake purchased, such as the price of a ticket in a lottery, is not a good measure of the real price of games of chance. One reason for this is that a bet in a game of chance does not entitle the buyer to a particular good or service, but only the chance of winning a prize. Furthermore, a stake such as a lottery ticket is not consistent with the concept of consumption applied in the National Accounts. For the purposes of the National Accounts, games of chance are viewed as entertainment, and the value of the service is equal to the total amount staked minus the total amount paid out in prizes. The CPI and HICP have adopted this definition, and therefore the price that is measured each month will be the total amount staked minus the prize money paid expressed as a percentage of the amount staked. This percentage is deemed a ‘service charge’ and is applicable to all types of games of chance, including lotteries, casino games, slot machines and (sports) betting.

Child care and personal contributions for basic health care costs 

With effect from the introduction of the 2025=100 series, the price index for child care, and the indices for which personal contributions for health care costs are relevant, will be calculated in the same way for both the CPI and the HICP. This is not the case for the 2015=100 series. In the CPI series, the gross price paid for child care is the determining factor. Child care therefore has a larger weight. For the HICP, only the personal contributions paid by parents are relevant. The contribution paid to parents by the government is deducted from the gross price in the HICP.

The weighting factor for child care is lower as a result. In the 2025=100 index, this HICP method is applied in both the CPI and the HICP. Changes in personal contributions for basic health insurance are treated differently in the CPI and the HICP with the reference year 2015=100. If a certain aspect of care is removed from the basic insurance package and consumers therefore have to start paying for that form of care, this leads to an increase in the weighting of health care in the CPI, not a price increase. The reverse also applies: the addition of previously uninsured forms of care to the basic insurance package will not lead to a price fall in the CPI.

Changes in the basic insurance health care package result in price changes in the HICP. A change whereby previously insured care is removed from the basic insurance package, and for which consumers therefore have to start making personal contributions, is treated as a price increase from zero to the level of the personal contribution that is required. Conversely, changes whereby previously uninsured forms of care are added to basic health insurance package will, in the HICP, fall in price from the previous price to zero.

Nursing homes

With effect from the 2025=100 series, the COICOP category of nursing homes (ECOICOPv2, 133020) is included in the CPI. This COICOP category has traditionally been part of the HICP, so there is no change as far as the HICP is concerned. The price index for nursing homes reflects changes in the personal contributions made by residents of these institutions. The change does not affect other spending by ‘institutional households’, since this is already part of spending in both the CPI and the HICP. 

Sewage treatment charges

For the purposes of the CPI, following the introduction of ECOICOPv2 it has been decided to move sewage treatment charges to the COICOP category 044310 Sewage collection through sewer systems. For the HICP, they are added to the same COICOP category as of 2026. This decision is based on the new detailed explanation of COICOP 2018 and ECOICOP v.2, and on consultations with Eurostat. This revealed that not only the disposal of wastewater is part of this expenditure category, but also treatment and purification. Households pay for this through the sewage treatment charge.

The CPI and HICP classifications are aligned wherever possible in the 2025=100 series. See the previous section for more information on this. The remaining differences of classification only concern categories that are outside the scope of the HICP.

Three groups of goods and services are included in the CPI, but not in the HICP:

• COICOP 042100 Imputed rental payments of owner-occupiers for their main residence
• COICOP 140000 Consumption-related taxes and membership fees
• COICOP 150000 Consumption abroad

At the start of the 2025=100 series, CPI figures from the January 2025 reporting month onwards are published on the basis of the new methods for holiday centres, package holidays and games of chance. In addition, figures dating back to the year 2010 have been calculated. For the HICP, figures have been calculated back to the year 1996. The figures for other European countries and for the Euro area and the EU as a whole, based on ECOICOPv2, are published by the countries and by Eurostat itself. In practice, not all groups, classes and subclasses in ECOICOPv2 are calculated and published. A group, class or subclass is excluded from publication if there is limited spending on it in the Netherlands and the group would therefore have a very low weighting. Neither is an ECOICOPv2 group, class or subclass published if spending falls outside the scope of the index. The annex contains an overview of alle sub(classes) and groups that will be published under the new ECOICOPv2. Correspondence tables between the previous ECOICOP and new ECOICOPv2 show how the translation from the old to new classification has been done.

Revision strategy

The figures for the CPI and HICP are published shortly after the reporting month. Sometimes these figures may be revised as additional information becomes available. In such instances, the revised figures are announced as definitive or revised. When there is a change in the method used to calculate the index, the figures published before and after that change will not always be fully aligned and comparable.

In the HICP, methodological changes are generally introduced in December of a given year, meaning that the price changes between December and January are the first to be calculated using the new method. The calculation of year-on-year changes in the index is then based on two methods for the subsequent 12 months. In some cases, a country may choose to recalculate the previous year’s figures using the new method and to revise the HICP series for a period of 12 months.  New inflation rates will then be based on the figures calculated using one method, but the previous year's revised indices will not be fully comparable to those of two years ago. This approach will be applied for holiday centres and package holidays. As a result, the monthly inflation figure will change over the course of 2025. In such instances, the CPI is available in two separate tables, whereby two sets of figures will remain available for (at least) one year, and year-to-year changes will be the result of indices calculated using the same method.

Recalculation of the results 

As described in the previous sections, in the 2025=100 series, certain methods and classifications have changed with respect to previous series. To enable comparability across longer time series, the CPI figures from 2010 to 2025 have been recalculated using the new methods and classifications wherever possible. The results based on the old methods and classifications (up to and including the year 2025) will remain available in the archive of the StatLine database.

For the 2025=100 series, the following applies:

Completely new figures based on the new methods and classifications have been calculated and published for the year 2025.

For the years 2010 to 2024, all items included in the CPI have been recoded from the old ECOICOP classification to the new ECOICOPv2 classification. The weighting factors and (unpublished) index series for each article are unchanged. Next, all items have again been aggregated according to the new ECOICOPv2 microclasses, subclasses, classes, groups and divisions. Finally, all the figures have been rescaled to 2025=100. The figures at the level of divisions, groups and classes may therefore vary, but the trend for the CPI as a whole between 2010 and 2024 in the new series is the same as in the old series, with the exception of some rounding differences.

No indices dating back further than 2010 have been calculated for the CPI. For the HICP, these series have been made available in order to deal with changes and time series consistently across the EU. The required elementary aggregate source data is no longer available for recoding and new aggregation. In order to calculate the HICP indices for the years 1996 to 2009, a different method have been applied due to the lack of data at this level of aggregation. The most detailed COICOP subclasses have been recoded based on the new ECOICOPv2 subclasses as best as possible according to the old classification. The time series published in early 2026, including at the most detailed level, can be considered the best possible estimate for the 1996-2009 period, but the less accurate method of classification does have a detrimental effect on quality.

Recalculation in detail

Changes to the CPI as described in chapter 3 have been introduced in the same manner wherever possible. In practice it means that games of chance, nursing homes and personal contributions for health care costs and net prices for child care are introduced in the index starting from 2025. The changes to the index of holiday centers and package holidays are also introduced in 2025, to leave unaffected the 2026 inflation rate. Earlier years have not been changed, because recalculation of the weights would take up too much effort or source data are lacking. Sewage treatment charges are an exception, these costs are part of COICOP 044310 Sewage collection through sewer systems for the entire time series.

The changes to sewage treatment charges and games of chance that are applied to the CPI cannot be applied to the HICP, due to European regulations. These expenditures are part of the HICP index starting from January 2026. Games of chance has an index reference period of December 2025. Sewage collection is not a separately published COICOP and therefore the index reference period of December 2025 is not applied.

The new method for holiday centers and package holidays is introduced in the HICP index through a revision of the 2025 figures. The indices from the old and new method are presented in the graphs below, and available in the attachment. Importantly, the average annual indices for these expenditure categories remain unchanged. As a result, the average annual index of the all items HICP is also unchanged.

For a number of (sub) classes the index reference year 2025 could not be calculated. In such cases a different index reference period has been chosen. In the attachment a separate table with different reference periods has been included. A special case are the so called “gaps”. When an index is not calculated for a consecutive period, but has been discontinued intermittently, a “gap” in the time series appears. In such cases for the period before the gap a diverging reference period has been chosen. The indices using that reference period cannot be compared to the indices after the gap. All indices belonging to the consecutive period before the gap are comparable.

This annex contains the ECOICOP v2 classification and other relevant information.

Explanation of the various tabs

Tabs with names starting with numbers 01, 02, 03, 04 and 05 are in Dutch (NL). Although tabs starting with 05, 06, 07 and 08 have Dutch names, their content is in Dutch as well as in English.

Tab 05-Indexreferentieperiode

This tab provides an overview for all COICOPs for which the index reference year 2025 could not be calculated and the alternative reference years used.

Tab 06-Lijst-Speciale-Aggregaten

This tab contains an overview of special aggregates published in the CPI and HICP index series 2025=100. Special aggregates are sums of certain divisions, groups, classes, subclasses and/or microclasses. For each special aggregate, it is indicated whether it is part of the monthly publication of the flash estimate. This is indicated with a “J” (yes) or a “N” (no).

Tab 07-SA-CPI-2025=100

This tab shows the composition of the special aggregates in the CPI series 2025=100. This subdivision of the special aggregates applies to the CPI from 2017 onwards. For each special aggregate, all ECOICOPv2 groups that are part of that special aggregate according to the classification are listed. However, some of these groups are not included in the calculation of the Dutch CPI, for example because the consumer expenditure of Dutch households for that category is very low.

Tab 08-SA-HICP-2025=100

This tab shows the composition of the special aggregates in the HICP series 2025=100. This subdivision of the special aggregates applies to the HICP from 2017 onwards. For each special aggregate, all ECOICOPv2 groups that are part of that special aggregate according to the classification are listed. However, some of these groups are not included in the calculation of the Dutch HICP, for example because the consumer expenditure of Dutch households for that category is very low.

Tab 09_EN_ECOICOPv2

This tab shows the ECOICOPv2 classification. Some groups are excluded from CPI and HICP observations in accordance with international agreements, such as narcotics and prostitution. Some expenditure categories that are not included in the HICP but are included in the CPI have been added to the overview; see the “Details” column for more information.

A number of classes and subclasses represent only a small amount of expenditure. These are not included in the CPI and HICP observations and will not be published. These classes and subclasses are identified by the letter “N” in column D for the year 2025 and in column E for 2026.

The ECOICOPv2 classification has a hierarchical structure, similar to a tree with increasingly finer branches. Some groups in this structure are further subdivided, others are not. Column F indicates whether a group is at the lowest level — i.e. whether there are no further subdivisions. This is indicated by a “Y” (yes) or a “N” (no).

A number of abbreviations are used in the names of the groups, in brackets:

(D) stands for durable goods
(ND) stands for non-durable goods
(S) stands for services
(SD) stands for semi-durable goods

Furthermore, the abbreviation “n.e.c.” means not elsewhere classified.

Tab 10_EN_ECOICOPtoECOICOPv2

This tab contains the “translation” of the ECOICOP groups to the new ECOICOPv2 groups. Columns A and B contain the ECOICOP numbers and names, and columns C and D contain the numbers and names of the new classification.

For example, you can see that the current group “Fresh or chilled fruit” (number 011610) is split into five different groups in the new classification: “Dates, figs and tropical fruits, fresh (ND)” (011610), “Citrus fruits, fresh (ND)” (011620), “Stone fruits and pome fruits, fresh (ND)” (011630), “Berries, fresh (ND)” (011640) and “Other fruits, fresh (ND)” (011650).

The same COICOP number can therefore have a different meaning in the new classification.

Tab 11_EN_ECOICOPv2ToECOICOP

This is the reverse version of the previous tab. It contains the “translation” of the new ECOICOPv2 groups into ECOICOP groups. Columns A and B contain the new ECOICOPv2 numbers and names, and columns C and D contain the numbers and names of the ECOICOP classification.

For example, you can see that the new group “Bread and bakery products (ND)” (number 011130) originates from two groups in the old classification: “Bread” (011130) and “Other bakery products” (011140).

The basis for tabs 05 and 06 is formed by the lowest publication ECOICOPv2 groups in 2025. There are 224 of these.

Tab 12-Unrevised-Indices

This tab shows the HICP indices prior to the revision of the HICP in 2025, expressed in reference year 2015 = 100. The revision will change the indices of a number of ECOICOP groups. For the ECOICOP groups that are subject to change, this tab shows the indices for both the HICP and the HICP-CT (constant taxes).