Qatar CPI rises over 4 percent year-on-year in March: PSA

Tribune News Network Doha The cost of living in Qatar based on the consumer price index (CPI) in March 2022 saw a slight increase from that in the previous...

Tribune News NetworkDohaThe cost of living in Qatar based on the consumer price index (CPI) in March 2022 saw a slight increase from that in the previous month.According to the Planning and Statistics Authority (PSA), Qatar’s CPI — a key inflation indicator — edged up 0.58 percent to 101.48 points in March when compared with that of February, 2022.Compared with the CPI of March 2021, the latest figure shows an increase of 4.42 percent, the PSA report said.The report attributed the month-on-month rise in CPI to increased prices in six inflation components — recreation and culture by 7.85 percent; housing, water, electricity and other fuel by 1.35 percent, miscellaneous goods and services by 0.85 percent, transport by 0.41 percent, restaurants and hotels by 0.20 percent and furniture and household equipment by 0.04 percent.Two main components showed decrease in March — food and beverages by 3.37 percent, and clothing and footwear by 2.50 percent. The tobacco group remained flat.On an year-on-year analysis, the index’s climb was mostly driven by price rises in eight components — recreation and culture by 37.61 percent, miscellaneous goods and services by 5.17 percent, food and beverages by 3.44 percent, housing, water, electricity and other fuel by 2.25 percent, transport by 1.57 percent, education by 0.47 percent, furniture and household equipment by 0.43 percent and communication by 0.31 percent. At the same time, this comparison also reveals price falls in three other groups — health by 3.09 percent, restaurants and hotels by 2.64 percent and clothing and footwear by 0.44 percent. No change was recorded on the tobacco group year-on-year.The CPI of January 2022, excluding housing, water, electricity and other fuel group, stands at 104.37 points, showing an increase of 0.14 percent when compared with that of February 2022, and an increase of 4.94 percent when compared with the CPI of March 2021.