Muscat: The annual inflation rate in the Sultanate of Oman reached 0.62% by the end of December 2023 according to data issued by the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI).
The inflation rate was driven by the increase in most main groups comprising the Consumer Price Index (CPI), including the food and non-alcoholic beverages group (2.91%).
The food and non-alcoholic beverages main group’s rise was driven by the increases in the prices of fish and sea food (7.62%), milk, cheese and egg (6.26%), vegetables (6.21%), food that is not identified under other categories (5.45%), fruits (4.79%), sugar, jam, honey and sweets (3.89%), oils and fats (2.09%), bread and grains (1.62%) and non-alcoholic drinks (0.7%). Meanwhile, the prices of meats went down by 1.36%.
Moreover, several main groups also increased, such as the groups of personal goods and services by 3.35%, tobacco by 2.41%, culture and entertainment by 1.65%, furniture, household equipment and routine household maintenance by 1.56%, heal
th by 0.34%, housing, water, electricity, gas and other types of fuel by 0.34% and restaurants and hotels by 0.05%.
Further, the prices of the following main groups went down: transport (2.65%), education (0.41%), clothes and footwear (0.25) and communications (0.24%).
Compared to the month of November 2023, the inflation rate decreased by 0.19%. This is driven by the drop in the prices of transport (2.11%), furniture, household equipment and routine household maintenance (0.06%), restaurants and hotels (0.02%).
Meanwhile, the following groups increased: miscellaneous goods and services (0.7%), food and non-alcoholic beverages (0.34%), culture and entertainment (0.11%) and clothes and footwear (0.01%). Prices remained stable in other groups.
As far as governorates are considered, rises in the inflation rate was recorded as follows: the Governorate of North A’Sharqiyah (1.29%), Dhofar (1.02%), Al Dhahirah (0.78%), South Al Batinah (0.66%), Al Buraimi (0.6%), North Al Batinah (0.57%), Muscat (0.55%), Musand
am (0.51%), South A’Sharqiyah (0.49%), A’Dakhiliyah (0.42%) and Al Wusta (0.18%).
Source: Oman News Agency
