Bulgaria annual CPI records 1.9% inflation in March
Bulgaria’s annual consumer price index (CPI) recorded 1.9 per cent inflation in March, despite shrinking by 0.5 per cent compared to the previous month, according to data released by the National Statistical Institute (NSI) on April 12.
The annual inflation figure was the highest recorded since June 2013, rising from 1.7 per cent recorded in February.
In monthly terms, it was the third time in the past year that consumer prices recorded deflation, with food prices down by 0.5 per cent in March, while the non-food prices fell by 0.1 per cent and services prices declined by 0.9 per cent.
Compared to March 2017, food prices were 3.9 per cent higher, while non-food prices grew by 2.9 per cent and services prices shrank by 1.5 per cent.
The harmonised CPI figure, calculated by NSI for comparison with European Union data, were also down 0.5 per cent in March, while the annual harmonised CPI was up one per cent – the third consecutive month it recorded inflation after 41 months in deflationary territory.
Food and beverage prices were 3.8 per cent up, on an annual basis, while the price of utilities and housing increased by 0.4 per cent and transportation costs were 2.1 per cent higher compared to a year earlier. The three categories account for about 48 per cent of the harmonised CPI basket.
(Photo: svilen001/sxc.hu)
