15-09-2020
Qatar Planning and Statistics Authority has issued its Consumer Price Index ‘CPI’ review for the month of August 2020. The CPI stood at 96.19 points recording a an increase by 0.48% vis-à-vis July 2020 and a year-on-year reduction by 4.05% vis-à-vis August 2019.
This revision of the CPI issued by the Qatar Planning and Statistics Authority is considered the eighth of its kind, based on the year 2018 as a benchmark year, and in view of the findings dragged from the family income and spending survey for the years 2017-2018. The CPI uses the classification of the individual consumption per purpose ‘CIOCOP’ in classifying the consumer commodities which comprises 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 varied over the past five years, and the relative needs between 2013 and 2018 are merely equal during the period and no changed is observed. The groups of food & beverages, housing, transportation, culture are still acquiring the tremendous importance amongst the consumer families.
Firstly: Monthly variance (August 2020 over July 2020)
Upon the comparison of the main constituents of the CPI for August 2020 with the former month July 2020, it is obvious that there is an increase in five groups, and a decrease in three groups, with one group remained unchanged.
The increase took place in: the entertainment and culture group by 2.29%, followed by the commodities and other services by 2.02%, education group by 1.58%, furniture and house appliances by 0.27%.
Conversely, the transportation group decreased by 0.65%, garments and footwear by 0.57%, housing, water & electricity and gas and other types of fuel groups by 0.49%. No variation took place in: tobacco, health, telecommunications and restaurants and hotels groups.
Secondly: Annual variance (August 2020 over August 2019)
Upon the comparison of August 2020 with the counter month last year 2019 (annual variation), it is observed that a reduction in the general CPI took place by 4.05%. This is resulted from the reduction took place in five groups as follows: entertainment and culture group by 22.7%, followed by transportation group by 6.73%, housing, water & electricity, gas & other types of fuel groups by 4.91%, garments and footwear group by 4.26%, telecom group by 0.81%.
As for the annual increases, it took place in five groups being tobacco group by 8.37%, restaurants and hotels group by 4.29%, commodities and other services by 1.94%, education group by 1.77%, furniture and house appliances group by 1.48%, health group by 1.48% and food and beverages group by 0.20%.
Considering the CPI for August 2020 after excluding the housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuel types group, the index reached 97.38 point, recording an increase by 0.73% on a monthly basis compared to the preceding month July 2020 and 3.72% compared to August 2019.