Bulgaria annual CPI records 3.5% inflation in May
Bulgaria’s annual consumer price index (CPI) recorded 3.5 per cent inflation in May, down from 3.7 per cent a month earlier, with prices rising 0.1 per cent on a monthly basis, according to data released by the National Statistical Institute (NSI) on June 14.
In monthly terms, it was the tenth month with CPI increase in the previous 12 months, which also recorded one month of zero growth and one month in which consumer prices shrank.
Food prices were 0.2 per cent higher compared to April and non-food prices rose by 0.4 per cent, while services prices were down 0.4 per cent. Compared to May 2018, food prices were 5.6 per cent higher, while non-food and services prices rose by 1.5 per cent and 3.3 per cent, respectively.
The harmonised CPI figure, calculated by NSI for comparison with European Union data, recorded 0.2 per cent inflation on a monthly basis, while the annual harmonised CPI inflation in May was 2.9 per cent, down from 3.1 per cent a month earlier.
Food and beverage prices were 5.3 per cent up, on an annual basis, while the price of utilities and housing increased by 4.3 per cent and transportation costs were 1.5 per cent higher compared to a year earlier. The three categories account for about 48.3 per cent of the harmonised CPI basket.
(Photo: svilen001/sxc.hu)
