Abu Dhabi inflation inching down so far this year

By Eudore R. Chand

ABU DHABI 13 December 2019: Abu Dhabi’s Consumer Price Index (CPI), decreased by 0.8 percent during the period January to November 2019 compared with the same period of 2018.

The index reached 110.8 percent for the same period in 2019, while it was 111.7 percent for the corresponding period of 2018, according to Statistics Centre – Abu Dhabi, SCAD.

The report provides an analysis of the results of the CPI for November 2019 with the base year 2014. In addition, it provides the results of CPI by household welfare levels, by household type, by Abu Dhabi regions and provides the percentage contribution of the major expenditure groups in the annual price change.

The CPI decreased by 0.3 percent in November 2019 compared with November 2018, where the index reached 110.3 percent during November 2019, while it was 110.6 percent in November 2018, SCAD said.

The CPI increased by 0.5 percent in November 2019 compared with October 2019, where the index reached 110.3 percent during November 2019, while it was 109.8 percent in October 2019, said Wam.

”The decline in consumer prices during the period January to November 2019 compared with the same period of 2018, contributed to a decrease of 1.3 percent in consumer prices for households of the bottom welfare level, and 1.2 percent for the middle welfare level, and 0.4 percent for the top welfare level,” it noted.

SCAD indicated that the decline in consumer prices during the period under review compared with the same period of 2018, contributed to a decrease of 0.8 percent for citizen households, 0.9 percent for non-citizen households, and 1.4 percent for shared households.

Cheaper Living

The ‘Housing, water, electricity, gas and fuel’ group contributed 137.4 percent to the overall decrease in the CPI during the period January to November of 2019 compared with the same period of 2018.

Prices of this group decreased by 3.6 percent over the same period.

Prices of the ‘Transport’ group decreased by 5.8 percent during the first eleven month of 2019 compared with the same period of 2018, and contributed 102.9 percent to the overall decrease.

The ‘Food and beverages’ group contributed by 29.4 percent to the overall decrease in the CPI during the January to November 2019 compared with the same period of 2018. Prices of this group decreased by 2.1 percent over the same period.