Sri Lanka’s overall inflation, measured by the National Consumer Price Index (NCPI), registered a year-on-year deflation of -1.9% in March 2025, up from -3.9% in February, according to data from the Department of Census and Statistics.
Food inflation turned positive at 0.8% in March, rising from -1.1% the previous month, while non-food inflation remained negative at -4.1%.
The NCPI (2021=100) recorded a slight drop to 206.0 in March, down from 206.2 in February. Month-on-month, food prices contributed -0.10% to the change, and non-food items had no impact.
Core inflation (excluding food, energy, and transport) was at -0.6% in March, with a monthly decline of 0.1%.
Despite recent deflation, the overall price level has increased by 106% since the 2021 base year.
