The core CPI, which excludes food and energy prices, was up 1.2 percent from a year ago last month, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics.

In 2025, the CPI stayed flat compared to last year, the data showed.

On a monthly basis, the CPI rose 0.2 percent in December, following a 0.1-percent decrease in November.

Friday's data also showed the producer price index (PPI), which measures costs for goods at the factory gate, went down 1.9 percent year-on-year in December, with the decline narrowing from a 2.2 percent decrease in the previous month. For the full year of 2025, the PPI declined 2.6 percent.