Recent report released by the National Bureau of Statistics revealed that the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which measures inflation increased by 15.75 percent (year-on-year) in December 2020. This is 0.86 percent points higher than the rate recorded in November 2020 (14.89) percent.
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 1.61 percent in December 2020. This 0.01 percent rate higher than the rate recorded in November 2020 (1.60 percent).
The percentage change in the average composite CPI for the twelve months period ending December 2020 over the average of the CPI for the previous twelve months period was 13.25 percent, representing a 0.33 percent point increase over 12.92 percent recorded in November 2020.
The urban inflation rate increased by 16.33 percent (year-on-year) in December 2020 from 15.47 percent recorded in November 2020, while the rural inflation rate increased by 15.20 percent in December 2020 from 14.33 percent in November 2020
On a month-on-month basis, the urban index rose by 1.65 percent in December 2020, same as the rate recorded in November 2020, while the rural index also rose by 1.58 percent in December 2020, up by 0.02 percent above the rate that was recorded in November 2020 (1.56 percent).
The corresponding twelve-month year-on-year average percentage change for the urban index is 13.86 percent in December 2020. This is higher than 13.55 percent reported in November 2020, while the corresponding rural inflation rate in December 2020 was 12.67 percent compared to 12.35 percent recorded in November 2020.