Qatar’s Consumer Price Index (YoY) Reduces by
3.12% in May 2020
15 June
2020
Qatar Planning and Statistics Authority has issued its
Consumer Price Index ‘CPI’ review for the month of May 2020. The CPI
stood at 95.66 points recording a reduction by 0.58% vis-à-vis April
2020 and 3.12% vis-à-vis May 2019.
This revision to the CPI issued by the Qatar Planning
and Statistics Authority is considered the 5th of its kind,
based on the year 2018 as benchmark, and in view of the findings dragged
from the family income and spending survey for 2018-2017. The CPI uses
the classification of the consumption of the individual per purpose
‘CIOCOP’ in classifying the consumer commodities which constitutes of 12
primary groups starting from the
food and non-alcoholic beverages and ending with commodities and various
services where 737 commodities are listed under these groups.
In view of the relative needs of the base year 2018, we
observe that the family’s living pattern has not been substantially
changed over the past five years, and the relative needs between 2013
and 2018 are merely equal during the period and no change is observed.
The groups of food & beverages, housing, transportation, culture are
still acquiring the profound importance amongst the consumer families.
Monthly variation (May 2020 over April 2020)
Upon the comparison of the main constituents
of the CPI for May 2020 with the former month April 2020 ‘monthly
variation’, we note a reduction in five groups, and an increase in two
groups with five groups remaining stable.
The reduction took place in: food and
beverages by 2.37%, followed by transportation group by 1.24%, garments
by 0.43%, housing; water; electricity; gas and other types of fuel by
0.36%, hotels and restaurants by 0.34%. However, commodities and other
services group increased by 0.75%, furniture and house appliances group
by 0.10%. No change took place on tobacco, health, telecom,
entertainment and culture and education groups.
Annual variation (May 2020 over May 2019)
Comparing May 2020 with the parallel month
last year 2019 (annual variation), it is observed that a reduction in
the general CPI took place by 3.12%, resulted from the reduction in six
groups: entertainment and culture group by 10.77%, garments and footwear
group by 5.58%, housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuel types
group by 3.94%, telecom group by 3.26% and furniture and house
appliances by 0.69%.
As for the annual increases, they took place
in six groups being tobacco group by 4.41%, commodities and other
services by 2.40%, health group by 1.30%, education group by 1.18%,
restaurants and hotels group by 0.45% and food & beverages group by
0.15%.
Considering the CPI for May 2020 after
excluding the housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuel types
group, the index reached 96.28 points, recording a decrease of 0.64% on
a monthly basis compared to April 2020 and of 2.81% over May 2019.