The Sultanate’s consumer price index (CPI) based inflation registered an upswing of 0.33% in December 2015 compared to the previous month. Meanwhile, average inflation for 2015 showed a 0.06% rise as against 2014. Further, on a year-on-year basis, the Sultanate’s inflation marked a decline of 0.14% in December 2015, according to the latest data released by the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI).
Last year, the food and non-alcoholic beverages group (with a weightage of nearly 24% in the CPI basket), witnessed an average price fall of 0.81% compared to 2014. Clothing and footwear and Transport groups too went down by 0.92% and 0.05% respectively year on year in 2015. In contrast, the housing, electricity, water and fuels group marked a rise of 0.43% while health segment posted a price rise of 3.42% in 2015 on a year-on-year basis.
Communication, as well as furnishing, household equipment and maintenance groups too witnessed an average price increase last year at 0.54% and 1.52% respectively, compared to 2014. Restaurants and hotels prices rose 0.34%. Education too registered an average annual price rise of 4.11% last year compared to the prior year.
The December prices of bread and cereals went down marginally by 0.01% as against November figures while fish and seafood turned costlier by 10.76% as also meat which rose by 0.34%. Milk, cheese and eggs, along with oils and fats prices fell by 0.02% and 0.33%. Vegetables too declined by 0.18%, even as price of fruits moved up 0.54%. Non-alcoholic beverages saw prices go up 0.05% in December compared to November, last year.
Clothing and footwear prices in December fell 0.07% while housing, water, electricity, fuels set declined 0.01%, compared with November 2015 prices. Furnishing, household equipment and maintenance, and transport sets too went down by 0.03% and 0.39%. However, communication set logged a price hike of 3.06% in December. Prices of recreation and culture decreased 0.07% while restaurants and hotels prices declined 0.02% in December compared with November.