Doha: Qatar’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation rate edged down by 0.94 percent in March 2020, compared to the previous month. On year-on-year, the inflation rate declined by 1.40 percent, according to the Planning and Statistics Authority (PSA).
A month-on-month analysis shows a decline in six main groups. While “Recreation and Culture” declined by 9.18 percent, “Clothing and Footwear” was decreased by 1.95 percent. “Restaurants and Hotels” saw a contraction by 0.46 percent, “Housing, Water, Electricity and other Fuel” by 0.32 percent and “Miscellaneous Goods and Services” declined 0.12 percent,.“Food and Beverages” decreased by 0.11 percent.
An increase has been recorded in Transport” by 1.31 percent on month on-month and “Furniture and Household Equipment” by 0.12 percent. “Tobacco”, “Health”, “Communication”, and “Education” groups had remained flat at the last month’s price level.
This release of CPI, is the third issuance using the new base of 2018, calculated from the results of the household income and Expenditure survey 2017/2018. Classification of Individual Consumption According to Purpose (CIOCOP) has been used, which divided the prices basket to twelve main groups, started with “Food and Nonalcoholic beverages” group, and to end up with “Miscellaneous goods and Services” group. 737 commodities and services have been covered all the groups.
Looking at the relative importance of the base year 2018, it has been found that, the pattern of households did not change much during the previous five years, and that the relative importance between 2013 and 2018 was almost equal during the period, and no major change was observed on them, the groups of “Food and Beverages”, “Housing, Water, Electricity and other Fuel”, “Transport”, and “Recreation and Culture” still considered as the most important to consumer families.
