Inflation rate rises 1.05 pc in Jan

MUSCAT: The rate of inflation in the Sultanate in January 2018 increased by 1.05 per cent compared with the same period in 2017. It was also an increase by 0.1 per cent compared with December 2017, according to the latest data released by the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI) about the consumer price index. The rise in the price index in January 2018 compared to the same period in 2017 is due to the rise in prices of major groups, such as housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels by 0.17 per cent, food and non-alcoholic beverages by 1.3 per cent, transportation by 2.53 per cent and furniture, household equipment and routing household maintenance by 1.99 per cent.

Education cost also increased by 4.9 per cent, miscellaneous goods and services by 0.62 per cent, health by 1.88 per cent and tobacco by 1.76 per cent. The prices of the group of restaurants and hotels decreased by 0.01 per cent compared to the same month in the previous year. At the governorates level, the Governorate of North Al Batinah witnessed the highest increase in inflation by 1.59 per cent, followed by the Governorates of North and South Al Sharqiyah by 1.24 per cent, the Governorate of Dhofar by 0.93 per cent and the Governorate of Al Buraimi by 0.41 per cent. Compared with the previous month, the consumer price index increased by 0.1 per cent. Prices of housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels went up by 0.07 per cent, transportation by 1.78 per cent, restaurants and hotels by 0.03 per cent, miscellaneous goods by 0.35 per cent and health by 1.25 per cent. On the other hand, the prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages declined by 1.3 per cent, furniture, household equipment and household maintenance by 0.02 per cent, recreation and cultural by 0.05 per cent while prices of communications and education remained stable. — ONA