The National Bureau of Statistics in its recent inflation report disclosed that the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which measures inflation increased by 18.12% (year-on-year) in April 2021. This is 0.05 per cent points lower than the rate recorded in March 2021 (18.17%).
Increases were recorded in all Classification of Individual Consumption by Purpose (COICOP) divisions that yielded the Headline index.
On month-on-month basis, the Headline index increased by 0.97 per cent in April 2021, this is 0.59 per cent rate lower than the rate recorded in March 2021 (1.56) per cent.
The percentage change in the average composited CPI for the twelve months period ending April 2021 over the average of the CPI for the previous twelve months period was 15.04 per cent, showing 0.48 per cent point from 14.55 per cent recorded in March 2021.
The urban inflation rate increased by 18.68 per cent (year-on-year) in April from 18.76 per cent recorded in the previous month while the rural inflation rate rose by 17.57 per cent in April from 17.60 per cent recorded in March.
On a month-on-month basis, the urban index rose by 0.99 per cent in April 2021, down by 0.61 the rate recorded in March 2021 (1.60), while the rural index also rose by 0.95 per cent in April 2021, down by 0.57 the rate that was recorded in March 2021 (1.52) per cent.
“The corresponding twelve-month year-on-year average percentage change for the urban index is 15.63 per cent in April 2021. This is higher than 15.15 per cent compared to 13.99 percent recorded in March 2021, while the corresponding rural inflation rate in April 2021 is 14.48 per cent compared to 13.99 per cent recorded in March 2021.