Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — In April 2025, the composite Consumer Price Index (CPI) reached 100.7% month-on-month, 102.9% compared to December 2024, and 110.1% year-on-year. The average monthly increase for the first four months of the year was 0.7%, which is lower than the same period in 2023 (0.8%) but higher than in 2024 (0.6%).

The CPI growth exceeded the national average in the Bukhara, Namangan, and Fergana regions. Year-on-year, CPI exceeded the national average in Kashkadarya, Namangan, Fergana regions, and Tashkent.

In April, the price growth for services outpaced that for goods: the monthly CPI for services was 101.0%, and for goods it was 100.6%. Food products rose by 0.8% in the month. Compared to April 2024, the short-term CPI for food products in April 2025 increased by 0.4 percentage points, mainly due to accelerated price growth for meat and oil products.

Non-food products showed price stability from January to April, with a CPI of 100.4% in April. Services had a CPI of 101%, 0.3 percentage points higher than in March, but 0.8 percentage points lower than in April 2024.

From the beginning of the year to April, the CPI for goods reached 102.6% (compared to 102.1% for the same period in 2024), including food products at 103.6% (compared to 102.1%). Non-food products saw more modest price increases at 101.2%, which is lower than last year's value (102.1%) and 2.4 percentage points less than the increase for food and services.

Services rose by 3.6% from January to April, while in 2024, the growth was 4.1%. Year-on-year, in April, the CPI for goods was 105.2%, lower than the previous year’s figure (107.3%). The annual index for food products decreased to 104.0%, 3 percentage points lower than April 2024. For non-food products, the annual CPI was 106.7%, compared to 107.7% the previous year.

A significant factor influencing the year-on-year CPI growth for services was the price spike in May 2024 after the liberalization of utility tariffs. In April 2025, the index reached 126.1%, which is 15.3 percentage points higher than the level of April 2024 (110.8%).

Short-term CPI by category ranged from 100.0% ("Education") to 101.4% ("Information and Communication"). Categories exceeding the average monthly index (100.7%) included "Alcohol and Tobacco," "Transport" (101.0%), "Healthcare" (101.3%), and "Information and Communication" (101.4%). The moderate price growth (not exceeding 0.3%) in categories like education, insurance, finance, clothing and footwear, household appliances, household items, and housing services helped to restrain inflation.

The highest CPI relative to December 2024 was observed in the "Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages" category (103.7%), while the lowest was in "Insurance and Financial Services" (100.1%). Yearly CPI ranged from 102.0% ("Insurance and Finance") to 133.1% ("Housing Services, Water, Electricity, Gas, and Fuels").

In April, short-term CPI was influenced by price changes in several key categories:

Section I. Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages.
Notable increases were observed in oils and fats (+2.5%): vegetable oils rose by 3.2%, margarine by 1.0%, butter by 0.9%, and other oils and fats by 1.5%. Meat products increased by 1.5% on average: beef and lamb by 1.5-1.8%, minced meat by 1.9%. Prices for poultry meat fluctuated slightly (99.8-100.1%). At the same time, prices for rice and rice bran decreased by 0.7%. Vegetables, tubers, and legumes became 0.5% cheaper, while fruits and nuts increased by 1.7%, explained by seasonality.

Section IV. Housing Services, Water, Electricity, Gas, and Other Fuels.
In April, tariffs were revised in several regions. Water and sewerage fees increased in Samarkand, garbage collection in Fergana, apartment maintenance in Bukhara, Jizzakh, and Fergana, and heating and hot water in Navoi. On average, CPI for these services across the country was 102.2%.

Section VI. Healthcare.
Inpatient treatment increased by 3.0%, outpatient care by 1.7%, and diagnostic services by 2.4%. Other subcategories saw smaller price increases.

Section VII. Transport.
Airline ticket prices rose by 5.1%, with domestic flights increasing by 4.9% and international flights by 5.3%. Bus and train fares went up by 1.3%. Methane gas rose by 2.6%, gasoline became cheaper by 0.4%, and propane increased by 8.7%.

Section VIII. Information and Communication.
The CPI increase was driven by a 2.5% rise in mobile communication tariffs for monitored operators.

The main contributor to the short-term increase in the composite CPI in April was food and non-alcoholic beverages, accounting for over 45% of the overall impact. Housing and utility services, healthcare, transport, and information and communication together contributed 0.28 percentage points (about 40% of the total). Other categories had a minor impact.

The CPI relative to December 2024 was largely driven by food inflation: the rise in food prices accounted for about 55% of the total index growth from January to April.

Throughout the year, the structure of the influence of various categories on the monthly CPI change varied, but food products remained the dominant factor almost every month, except in April and May when changes in healthcare and utility tariffs were the main determinants.