Qatar inflation up 3.4% in Jan

15 Feb 2013

(MENAFN) Qatar Statistics Authority (QSA) announced that in January, the country’s consumer price index (CPI) grew 3.4 percent from a year earlier, reported The Peninsula.

The agency said that on a monthly basis, Qatar’s CPI, a main gauge for inflation, rose by 0.7 percent.

It attributed that annual gain to higher prices of the entertainment, recreation and culture group, which posted a growth of 7.5 percent, driven by an increase in education training services.

According to QSA, rent, fuel and energy prices expanded by 4.4 percent, furniture, textiles and home appliances went up by 4.1 percent, and food, beverages and tobacco rose by 3 percent.

The agency noted that all groups recorded gains in prices in January, expect garments and footwear, with the group’s prices falling by 0.9 percent from a year before.

Meanwhile, on a monthly basis, entertainment, recreation and culture group gained 2 percent, whereas furniture, textiles and home appliances grew by 1.8 percent.

Furthermore, rent, fuel and energy rose by 1 percent, and food, beverages & tobacco edged up by 0.9 percent, while the medical care & medical services posted a growth of 0.8 percent.

It is worth noting that the garments and foot wear group contracted by 0.4 percent from December, while miscellaneous goods and services fell by 0.5 percent and transport and communications dipped by 0.1 percent.