The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is published monthly by the Tonga Statistics Department (TSD). It is the official measure of annual and monthly inflation in Tonga. It tracks the changing prices of a fixed basket of goods and services purchased by households, reflecting their overall expenditure patterns. The CPI 2021 report is used by the line ministries and the National Reserve Bank of Tonga (NRBT) to monitor price trends, evaluate inflationary pressures, and inform fiscal and monetary policy decisions to ensure economic stability.
In 2025, the TSD rebased the CPI using HIES 2021 expenditure data to ensure it accurately reflects current consumption patterns. The rebase exercise helped update the weights and increased the CPI 2021 basket by 46 new products. The old CPI 2018 basket contained 137 items, and the new CPI 2021 basket has 161 items. Some of the new items include green coconuts, cheese, cell phones, and cars, while excluding items with low expenditure shares like turkey tails and domestic call bundles.
NOTE: The Tonga Statistics Department, through the Economics Statistics Division, wishes to inform the public and all stakeholders that revisions have been made to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for September 2025.
These revisions were undertaken following the technical assistance mission conducted with the Pacific Community (SPC) in October 2025. The mission reviewed and improved price collection methods, item specifications, and data compilation procedures to enhance the accuracy and consistency of the CPI.
During this exercise, several important updates were made, including:
- Improvements to the price collection process and market coverage
- Adjustments to selected figures since March 2025 identified through validation
- Revisions and replacements of certain items and outlets to ensure current market representation.
As a result, the following COICOP (Classification of Individual Consumption by Purpose) groups were affected by these revisions:
04.3 Housing Maintenance and Materials – updates to new bed prices
07.2 Transport Services – revisions to car rental and car new tyre prices.
08.3 Communication – updates to mobile data bundles and related services.
09.3 Recreation, Sport, and Culture – inclusion and revision of cat food prices.
These improvements have resulted in revised CPI results for recent months, including September 2025, ensuring that the index continues to reflect the actual prices paid by consumers in Tonga.
The revised CPI results will be published in the September 2025 CPI report, available in this website.
The Department appreciates the continued understanding and support of all stakeholders as we work to strengthen the quality, accuracy, and reliability of Tonga’s economic statistics.
Consumer Price index Report from 2010 to 2025
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Contact Person: Telekaki Latavao