Malaysia’s inflation rate increased by 1.6% in January, as the consumer price index rose to 135.7 compared with 133.6 in the same month a year earlier, according to the Department of Statistics Malaysia.

Chief statistician Mohd Uzir Mahidin said the uptick was driven by four categories that recorded faster growth than in the previous month.

The largest gain came from personal care, social protection, and miscellaneous goods and services, which increased by 6.6%, accelerating from 5.7% in December, New Straits Times reports.

Education recorded the next biggest increase, rising 3.2% compared with 2.8% previously, while housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels edged up 1.2% from 0.9%.

Recreation, sport and culture also saw a modest uptick, climbing 0.9% from 0.8%.

The Department of Statistics Malaysia added that alcoholic beverages and tobacco, which rose 2.5%, and food and beverages, up 1.5%, posted the same growth rates as in December 2025.

Furthermore, around 62.0% of items, 355 out of 573, registered price increases.

Among them, 346 items, or 97.5%, posted gains of 10% or less, while only nine items recorded increases of more than 10% in January.

Meanwhile, 173 items, representing 30.2%, saw prices decline, and 45 items showed no change.

Moreover, the department said the average price of RON97 unleaded petrol stood at RM3.11 per litre during the month, down from RM3.24 per litre in December 2025.

Diesel in Peninsular Malaysia averaged RM2.89 per litre, compared with RM3.03 per litre in December 2025 and RM3.06 per litre in January 2025.

Mohd Uzir Mahidin said three states recorded inflation rates above the national level of 1.6%, namely Johor at 2.1%, Negeri Sembilan at 2.0%, and Pahang at 1.9%.

“However, the remainder 13 states increased below and equal to the national inflation rate with Kelantan recorded the lowest inflation (0.3%) in January.

“All states registered an increase in inflation of food & beverages except Kelantan (-0.3%). Five states recorded increases over the national inflation of food & beverages (1.5%) in January 2026,” he said.

Mohd Uzir said the highest increase was in Negeri Sembilan at 3.2%, followed by Pahang at 2.6%, Johor at 2.5%, Kuala Lumpur at 2.0%, and Melaka at 1.7%.

Other states saw increases at or below the national inflation rate for food and beverages.