The inflation rate in the Sultanate, calculated in terms of consumer price index (CPI), rose marginally by 0.58 per cent in April 2018, over the same period in 2017, according to the data released by the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI).

The marginal increase in inflation was driven by a rise in cost of major segments such as education which rose 4.90 per cent, rise in transport cost by 2.47 per cent and furnishing and household equipment with a rise of 1.27 per cent in April 2018, over the same period of last year.

However, foods and non-alcoholic beverages group witnessed a marginal 0.72 per cent fall in April this year, compared to the same period of last year, shows NCSI data. Among foods and non-alcoholic beverages group, a marked fall of11.48 per cent was witnessed in vegetables, while prices of fish and seafood declined by 5.53 per cent.
However, prices of fruits, non-alcoholic beverages rose by 4.57 per cent and 1.75 per cent, respectively in April. Compared to the previous month, the consumer prices index rose only by 0.23 per cent, mainly due to a stable trend in several products.

The average inflation rate between January and April 2018 edged up by 0.56 per cent, over the same period last year. The average cost of education in the first four months of 2018 soared by 4.90 per cent, transport by 2.13 per cent, furnishing and household equipment by 1.76 per cent and non-alcoholic beverages by 1.70 per cent.