Brunei Consumer Prices Fall for 3rd Month

Brunei’s consumer prices were down 0.2% yoy in January 2026, easing from a 0.7% decline in the previous month but marking a third straight month of deflation. Price drops moderated for furnishings and household maintenance (-0.2% vs -1.2% in December), recreation and culture (-2.0% vs -2.7%), and miscellaneous goods and services (-0.3% vs -1.2%). At the same time, costs remained subdued for housing and utilities (-0.3% vs -0.3%) and communication (-3.4% vs -0.1%). Inflation slowed for food and non-alcoholic beverages (0.2% vs 0.5%) and education (0.2% vs 0.3%), while health prices were nearly flat (0.01% vs 0.2%). Meantime, inflation held steady for restaurants and hotels (at 0.4%), with prices rebounding for clothing and footwear (0.9% vs -3.6%) and transport (0.1% vs -0.9%). On a monthly basis, CPI dropped 0.7%, reversing December’s 0.3% rise and marking the first fall in three months.