Consumer price index from 2026

In 2026, some changes will take 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 ECOICOP v.2. This is relevant for users of the detailed data.
• Some changes have been made to the methodology used for the CPI. These relate to bungalow parks 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 ECOICOP v.2.

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 will be 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. These differences are explained in section 4.

In general, when compiling national statistics, CBS seeks consistency with international definitions and methods. CBS only deviates from international definitions 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 will also be added to the CPI. This will bring 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 home ownership. The main reason for this is that the way in which home ownership is handled in the HICP is still under discussion.

The changes in 2026

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

• The base year for the series will move from 2015 to 2025; i.e. from 2015=100 to 2025=100.
• The classification of expenditure will change in accordance with ECOICOP v.2. This classification will correspond broadly to the UN’s COICOP 2018 classification, and is an adaptation to European statistical requirements.
• New methods and sources are to be used for package holidays and bungalow parks.
• A new category of games of chance will be added.

The following changes will 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 will be added to the CPI as an expenditure category.
• The sewage treatment charge will no longer fall under consumption-related taxes, and will move to the COICOP category 044310 Sewage collection through sewer systems.

The following changes will only apply to the HICP:

• The sewage treatment charge will be moved 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 will become 2025, and the index series will be rescaled to 2025=100. This is a question 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 ECOICOP v.2, will lead to a number of practical complexities. Pre-2025 figures will be converted to the new classification wherever possible, so that the long 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. However, because the indices are rounded to two decimal places, this rescaling may only lead to a very small change in the rates of change calculated in a limited number of cases.

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 ECOICOP v.2

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, ECOICOP v.2 (European Classification of Individual Consumption by Purpose), is based on this and will be introduced in 2026 for the HICP.

In ECOICOP v.2, 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 ECOICOP v.2, 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.

The CPI and ECOICOP v.2

The CPI will be based on ECOICOP v.2 wherever possible. Because the range of the CPI differs slightly from the range 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 will 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 will be 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.

Bungalow parks package holidays

For the price index for bungalow parks, there will be a switch from website prices to the actual prices paid, as well as a change to a different type of price index. 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. To avoid inflation being affected by the introduction of new sources and methods, the decision was made to implement these changes with effect from the January 2025 reporting month. This will only apply to the CPI with the base year 2025=100, and to all series of the HICP. These changes will not affect the CPI with base year 2015=100.

Games of chance

Games of chance are part of both ECOICOP and ECOICOP v.2. 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 will take effect in reporting year 2026, while for the CPI it will take 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 will adopt 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. The weighting factor for child care costs is heavier as a result. 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 will be 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 will 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. As with child care, for changes to personal contributions and basic health insurance, the HICP methodology will also be applied in the CPI following the introduction of the new reference year 2025=100.

Nursing homes

With effect from the 2025=100 series, the COICOP category of nursing homes (ECOICOP v.2, 133020) will be 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 ECOICOP v.2 it has been decided to move sewage treatment charges to the COICOP category 044310 Sewage collection through sewer systems. For the HICP, they will be 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 (and will continue to be) 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 will be published on the basis of the new methods for bungalow parks, 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. These figures will become available in February 2026. The HICP will be rescaled to 2025=100, and the Dutch HICP figures based on ECOICOP v.2 will be available on the CBS website with immediate effect. The figures for other European countries and for the Euro area and the EU as a whole, based on ECOICOP v.2, are published by the countries and by Eurostat itself. In practice, not all groups, classes and subclasses in ECOICOP v.2 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 ECOICOP v.2 group, class or subclass published if spending falls outside the scope of the index. A definitive list of the groups, classes and subclasses to be published will be made available on the CBS website during 2025.

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 produce the statistics, the figures published before and after that change will not always be fully aligned and comparable. Particularly when the seasonal pattern of certain figures changes, this may have important implications.

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 bungalow parks and package holidays. As a result, the monthly inflation figure will change over the course of 2025. In such instances, the CPI will be based on a different method, 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. In concrete terms, this means that the 2015=100 series will remain available, and will be calculated using the same method in 2025 as it was in 2024. In addition, the 2025=100 series will include figures for 2025 that have been calculated using the new methods introduced for 2026 onwards. This will apply to bungalow parks, package holidays and games of chance.

Recalculation of the results 

As described in the previous sections, in the 2025=100 series, certain methods and classifications will change 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 will be calculated and published for the year 2025.

For the years 2010 to 2024, all items included in the CPI will be recoded from the old ECOICOP classification to the new ECOICOP v.2 classification. The weighting factors and (unpublished) index series for each article will be unchanged. Next, all items will again be aggregated according to the new ECOICOP v.2 subclasses, classes, groups and divisions. Finally, all the figures will be 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 will be 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 will be made available in order to deal with changes and time series consistently across the EU. The required item-level 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 will be applied due to the lack of item-level data. The most detailed COICOP subclasses have been recoded based on the new ECOICOP v.2 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 on quality.

This annex contains the ECOICOP v.2 classification. Some groups, such as narcotics and prostitution, have been excluded from data collection for the CPI and HICP under international agreements. Some expenditure categories that are not included in the HICP but are included in the CPI have been added to the overview; see the ‘Notes’ column. 

Some classes and subclasses represent only small amounts of spending. These will not be included in the data used for the CPI and HICP figures and no information on them will be published. The exact classes and subclasses concerned will be determined later. 

Some abbreviations are used when naming the groups, in parentheses: 

(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'.