The Planning and Statistics Authority (PSA) has released the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the month of August 2021. The CPI of August 2021 reached to 99.03 points showing an increase by 0.3% when compared to CPI of July 2021. Compared to CPI of August 2020, [Y-o-Y basis], an increase of 2.95% has been recorded in the general index (CPI) of this month. 

 

An analysis [on M-o-M basis] of CPI for August 2021 compared with CPI, July 2021, showed that there were five main groups, where respective indices in this month have increased, namely: “Transport” by 2.19%, “Food and Beverages” by 0.68%, “Restaurants and Hotels” by 0.46%, “Education” by 0.02%, “Housing, Water, Electricity and other Fuel” by 0.01%. A decrease has been recorded in: “Clothing and Footwear” by 1.22%, “Recreation and Culture” by 0.96%, “Communication” by 0.25%, “Miscellaneous Goods and Services” by 0.13%. “Tobacco”, “Furniture and Household Equipment”, and “Health” had remained flat at the last month’s price level. 

A comparison of the CPI, August 2021 with the CPI, August 2020 (Annual Change), an increase has been recorded in the general index (CPI), by 2.95%. This [Y-o-Y] price increase primary due to the prices rising in nine groups namely: “Recreation and Culture” by 15.88%, followed by “Transport” by 13.27%, “Education” by 2.38%, “Furniture and Household Equipment” by 2.36%, “Food and Beverages” by 1.33%, “Restaurants and Hotels” by 1.18%, “Miscellaneous Goods and Services” by 0.99%, “Communication” by 0.65%, and “Health” by 0.17%. A decrease has been shown in price levels in “Housing, Water, Electricity and other Fuel” by 4.76%, and in “Clothing and Footwear” by 2.41%. No changes recorded on “Tobacco”. 

The CPI of August 2021 excluding “Housing, Water, Electricity and other Fuel” group stands at 102.17 points recorded an increase by 0.38%, when compared to the index of July 2021, and by 4.92% when compared to the CPI of August 2020. 

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