Subscription fees for software, including artificial intelligence (AI), and cloud storage will be included in the consumer price index (CPI) survey. This marks the first revision of item classification since the introduction of the expenditure classification system based on 2006 data.
The National Data Agency announced on July 7 that it will revise the CPI based on 2025 data and publish the results on December 18. The agency updates representative items and weights every five years to reflect changes in economic and social structures as well as household consumption patterns.
Based on the results of the 2025 Household Trend Survey, the agency will adjust the representative items and weights. New items being added include software subscription fees, cloud storage fees, and smartwatches, reflecting the increased use of digital technologies such as AI. Conversely, some items, such as fern and kindergarten fees, which have seen a decrease in consumer spending, will be excluded.
The agency has selected 455 representative items and will also revise special classification indices, such as the living price index, which reflects the cost of living. This is a reduction of three items compared to the 2020 data, with 433 items maintained that have an average monthly consumer expenditure of over 312 won and can be continuously monitored for price changes.
Additionally, the classification of items will be revised in accordance with updates to the international classification of consumer expenditure purposes and the Korean standard classification of individual consumption expenditures. This is the first revision since the expenditure classification system based on 2005 data was implemented in 2006. The agency plans to move and adjust the classification of some items according to their expenditure purposes to enhance comparability between countries.
The agency will collect public opinions on the proposed selection of representative items from today until July 17 through its website. Submitted opinions will be reviewed for validity and finalized after deliberation by the National Statistical Commission.
The results of the revision will be announced on December 18, and the consumer price trends based on 2025 data are scheduled for publication on December 31. It is worth noting that the consumer price index and inflation rates calculated based on the 2020 data for the period from January 2025 to November 2026 may change to reflect the 2025 standards.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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