Inflation rate hits 16.47% in January

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Tuesday disclosed that in January 2021, inflation rate rose to 16.47 per cent.

It was 15.75 per in December, which is an indication that the rate soared by 0.72 per cent in the period under review.

NBS made this known in its data titled: “Consumer Price Index January 2021(Base Period December 2009=100)”.

According to the report: “The consumer price index, (CPI) which measures inflation increased by 16.47 percent (year-on-year) in January 2021.

“This is 0.71 percent points higher than the rate recorded in December 2020 (15.75 percent). Increases were recorded in all COICOP divisions that yielded the Headline index.”

NBS noted the percentage change in the average composite CPI for the twelve months period ending January 2021 over the average of the CPI for the previous twelve months period was 13.62 percent, representing a 0.37 percentage point increase over 13.25 percent recorded in December 2020.

It said on month-on-month basis, the Headline index increased by 1.49 percent in January 2021.

This, said the NBS, is 0.12 percentage points lower than the rate recorded in December 2020 (1.61 percent).

It further noted that on a month-on-month basis, the urban index rose by 1.52 percent in January 2021, down by 0.13 percentage points when compared to the rate recorded in December 2020, while the rural index also rose by 1.46 percent in January 2021, down by 0.12 compared to the rate that was recorded in December 2020 (1.58 percent).

Besides, the report said the urban inflation rate increased by 17.03 percent (year-on-year) in January 2021 from 16.33 percent recorded in December 2020, while the rural inflation rate increased by 15.92 percent in January 2021 from 15.20 percent in December 2020.

Meanwhile, NBS explained that corresponding twelve-month year-on-year average percentage change for the urban index was 14.23 percent in January 2021.

This, it said, is higher than the 13.86 percent reported in December 2020, while the
corresponding rural inflation rate in January 2021 was 13.04 percent compared to 12.67 percent
recorded in December 2020.

On All Item Index, the Bureau said “the composite food index rose by 20.57percent in January 2021 compared to 19.56 percent in December 2020.

“This rise in the food index was caused by increases in prices of Bread and cereals, Potatoes,Yam and other tubers, Meat, Fruits, Vegetable, Fish and Oils and Fats.

“On month-on-month basis,the food sub-index increased by1.83 percent in January 2021, down by 0.22percent points from 2. 05 percent recorded in December 2020.

The average annual rate of change of the Food sub-index for thetwelve-month period ending January 2021 over the previous twelve-month average was16.66 percent,0.49 percent points higher than the average annual rate of change recorded in December 2020 (16.17percent).”