The consumer price index (CPI), a main gauge of inflation, grew 2.5 percent year on year in December, said the National Bureau of Statistics on January 11.

The inflation rate increased from 2 percent in November and a 33-month low of 1.7 percent in October as food prices jumped.

December's CPI rose 0.8 percent from the previous month.

Food prices, which account for nearly one third of the CPI basket, rose 4.2 percent in December from one year earlier, pushing the CPI up by 1.37 percentage points.

Vegetable prices jumped 14.8 percent year on year in December as chilly weather disrupted vegetable transportation, pushing the CPI up by 0.41 percentage points.