Doha: Qatar’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) witnessed a marginal increase of 0.3 percent in August compared to previous month (July 2021), reaching at 99.03 points. When compared on annual basis, the consumer prices in Qatar (as per the general CPI index) in August have also increased by 2.95 percent compared to the CPI of the same month in 2020, latest data by the Planning and Statistics Authority (PSA) show.
An month-on-month analysis of the CPI for August 2021 compared with CPI of July 2021, showed that there were five main groups, where respective indices during this month have increased, namely: “Transport” by 2.19 percent, “Food and Beverages” by 0.68 percent, “Restaurants and Hotels” by 0.46 percent, “Education” by 0.02 percent, and “Housing, Water, Electricity and other Fuel” by 0.01 percent.
However, a decrease has been recorded in the following groups: “Clothing and Footwear” by 1.22 percent, “Recreation and Culture” by 0.96 percent, “Communication” by 0.25 percent, and “Miscellaneous Goods and Services” by 0.13 percent.
Meanwhile, “Tobacco”, “Furniture and Household Equipment”, and “Health” had remained flat at the last month’s price level.
A comparison of the CPI of August 2021 with the CPI of August 2020 (Annual Change), showed an increase has been recorded in the general index (CPI), by 2.95 percent. This Y-o-Y price increase was primary due to the prices rise in nine groups namely: “Recreation and Culture” by 15.88 percent, followed by “Transport” by 13.27 percent, “Education” by 2.38 percent, “Furniture and Household Equipment” by 2.36 percent, “Food and Beverages” by 1.33 percent, “Restaurants and Hotels” by 1.18 percent, “Miscellaneous Goods and Services” by 0.99 percent, “Communication” by 0.65 percent, and “Health” by 0.17 percent.
While a decrease has been shown in price levels in “Housing, Water, Electricity and other Fuel” by 4.76 percent and in “Clothing and Footwear” by 2.41 percent. No change was recorded on “Tobacco”.
The CPI of August 2021, excluding “Housing, Water, Electricity and other Fuel” group stood at 102.17 points showing an increase of 0.38 percent M-o-M, and an increase of 4.92 percent when compared to the CPI of August 2020.
