The consumer price index (CPI) was 1.8% higher than a year earlier, rising faster than the 1.6% annual gain seen in November, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed on Thursday. The result matched a Reuters poll estimate of 1.8%.
The CPI for all of 2022 was up 2.0% on 2021, compared with the government target of around 3%.
The producer price index (PPI) showed an annual drop for a third straight month. In December it was down 0.7% from a year earlier, falling less than an annual contraction of 1.3% seen in November. Economists in a Reuters poll had forecast a fall of 0.1%.
The PPI for all of 2022 was up 4.1% on the previous year, the bureau said.
China abandoned its strict zero-COVID measures last month, lifting lockdowns, halting regular testing and triggering a surge of infections that dampened consumer activity as people stayed home to recover.
The economy, the world's second largest, also continues to struggle with a property sector slumping under huge debts.
(Reporting by Liangping Gao, Joe Cash and Liz Lee; Editing by Bradley Perrett)
