13-01-2021
The Planning and Statistics Authority issued the Consumer Price Index for December 2020, and the index reached 95.93 points, registering a slight increase closer to stability by 0.02% compared to the previous month, November 2020, and a decrease of 3.37% compared to the corresponding month (December) of 2019.
This statement is considered the twelfth publication of the consumer price index on the base year of 2018, according to the results calculated from the data of the Household Spending and Income Survey 2017/2018. The classification Individual consumption According to Purpose (CIOCOP) is used in the classification of consumer goods, as it consists of 12 main groups that start from the group of food and non-alcoholic beverages and ending with the group of dispersed goods and services, and under these groups fall 737 goods and services.
Looking at the relative importance of the base year 2018, we find that the household pattern has not changed much during the previous five years, and that the relative importance between 2013 and 2018 is almost equal during the period, and no significant change has been observed on it, and the food and beverage groups, housing, and transportation and culture are still of the greatest importance to consumer families.
1. Monthly change (December 2020 from November 2020):
When comparing the main components of the index for December 2020 with the previous month, November 2020 (monthly change), it becomes clear that there is an increase in five groups, a decrease in four groups, and a stabilization in three groups.
The rise occurred in the entertainment and culture group by 3.31%, followed by the education group by 0.68%, the transportation and other goods and services group by 0.53% each, and the furniture and home appliances group by 0.08%.
While the group of clothes and shoes decreased by 3.30%, followed by the housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels group by 0.84%, the food and beverage group by 0.57%, and the restaurants and hotels group by 0.07%. There has been no change in the tobacco, health and communication groups.
2. Annual change (December 2020 from December 2019):
Comparing December 2020 with the corresponding month in 2019 (annual change), the general index showed a decrease of 3.37%, which is the result of a decline in four groups: the entertainment and culture group by 21.61%, followed by the clothing and shoes group by 6.77% And the housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels group by 5.56%, and the food and beverage group by 0.62%.
As for the annual increases, they occurred in eight groups: the tobacco group by 8.37%, the education group by 3.37%, the restaurants and hotels group by 3.30%, the health group by 1.69%, the communications group by 0.89%, and the group of other goods and services by 0.60%, And the furniture and appliances group, 0.53%, and the transportation group, 0.13%.
By calculating the consumer price index for the month of December 2020, after excluding the housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels group, it reached the point of 97.46, recording an increase of 0.23% compared to the previous month (November 2020), and a decrease of 2.69% with the month of December 2019.