​

•  Stability was recorded on CPI of February 2018.
•      0.8% annual increase on CPI of February 2018, compared with February 2017.
  

        The Ministry of Development Planning & Statistics (MDPS) has released the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the month of February 2018. The CPI of February, 2018 reached to 109.3 (base year is 2013) showing a constancy, when compared to CPI of January, 2017. Compared to CPI of February, 2017, [Y-o-Y basis] of 0.8% increase has been recorded in the general index (CPI) of this month.
    
 An analysis [on M-o-M basis] of CPI for February, 2018 compared with January, 2017 CPI, shows that there are three main group, where respective indices in this month have increased, namely: by  “Recreation and Culture” by 4.0%, followed by “Clothing and Footwear” and  “Miscellaneous Goods and Services” by 0.1% each. A decrease in prices is also noticed in “Housing, Water, Electricity and Gas” by 0.3% and “Food and Beverages” by 0.1%. “Furniture and Household Equipment”, “Health”  “Transport”, “Communication”, “Education”, “Restaurants and Hotels”  groups have remained flat at the last month’s price level. 

              A comparison of the CPI, February 2018 with the CPI, February 2017 (Annual Change), an increase has been recorded in the general index (CPI), by 0.8%. This [Y-o-Y] price increase is primarily due to the increasing prices seen in the seven groups, namely: “Transport” by 7.9%, “Health” by 5.3%, “Food and Beverages” by 3.9%, “Clothing and Footwear” by 3.4%. “Furniture and Household Equipment” and “Miscellaneous Goods and Services” by 1.0% each, and “Education” by 0.9%. Also there has been a decrease in price levels in three groups, namely: “Housing, Water, Electricity and other Fuel” by 5.1%, “Communication” by 1.1%, “Restaurants and Hotels” by 0.5%. No changes recorded in “Tobacco” and “Recreation and Culture” groups.

 
   Regards  the contribution relative, which is   a percentage  reflect  the   different contribution of the main groups  on the CPI annual rate. For the month of February,2018, noticed that the “Housing, Water, Electricity and other Fuel” had the highest contribution by 137.8% from the annual change of CPI, followed by “ Transport” which contributed  by 144.10% in the CPI annual change, “Food and Beverages” contributed by 51.9%, %, “Clothing and Footwear” contributed by  19.4%. other group’s contribution were  between 3.3% to 10.5%. 

  
The CPI of January, 2018 excluding “Housing, Water, Electricity and other Fuel” group stands at 109.4 showing an increase of 0.5 % when compared to the index of December 2017, and a 2.9% when compared to the CPI of January 2017.

For more information click here