Bulgaria CPI records 2.7 per cent inflation in 2018
Bulgaria’s annual consumer price index (CPI) recorded 2.7 per cent inflation in 2018, after December monthly figures showed zero price index inflation, according to data released by the National Statistical Institute (NSI) on January 15. Last year, Bulgaria recorded 2.8 per cent CPI growth.
In monthly terms, it was the only month with flat CPI growth in the previous 12 months, which also recorded nine months of inflation and two months in which consumer prices shrank.
Food prices were flat compared to November, while non-food prices fell by 1.3 per cent and services prices were up 1.4 per cent. Compared to December 2017, food prices were 2.6 per cent higher, while non-food and services prices rose by 1.2 per cent and 4.3 per cent, respectively.
The harmonised CPI figure, calculated by NSI for comparison with European Union data, also recorded zero inflation in December, while the annual harmonised CPI was up 2.3 per cent.
Food and beverage prices were 2.4 per cent up, on an annual basis, while the price of utilities and housing increased by 4.5 per cent and transportation costs were 0.3 per cent lower compared to 2017. The three categories account for about 49.7 per cent of the harmonised CPI basket.
(Photo: svilen001/sxc.hu)
