Executive Summary:
- The Consumer Price Index (CPI) for November of 2018 is stabilized at 131.4 points.
- The CPI increased by 0.7% in November 2018, compared with the same period of 2017.
- The inflation rate in consumer prices for the period from January until November of 2018 was 2.1% compared with the same period of 2017.
|
The Consumer Price Index (Points) |
Year |
| January-November |
November |
October |
|
129.2 |
130.5 |
130.8 |
2017 |
|
131.9 |
131.4 |
131.4 |
2018 |
|
2.1 |
0.7 |
0.5 |
Percentage Change (%) |
Table 1: Summary of Changes on CPI
Consumer Price Index during November 2018 compared with October 2018:
The CPI for November 2018 is stabilized at 131.4 points, compared with October 2018. The following table presents the CPI developments at the major groups’ level:
| Main Group |
November
2018 (point) |
October
2018 (point) |
Percentage Change (%) |
November 2017 (point) |
Percentage of Change (%) |
| Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages |
159.6 |
160.0 |
0.3- |
155.7 |
2.5 |
| Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco |
286.6 |
287.3 |
0.2- |
212.0 |
35.2 |
| Clothing and Footwear |
110.7 |
111.3 |
0.5- |
112.5 |
1.6- |
| Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas and other Fuels |
118.9 |
118.7 |
0.2 |
119.0 |
0.1- |
| Furnishing, Household Equipment and Routine Household Maintenance |
133.3 |
133.4 |
0.1- |
141.2 |
5.6- |
| Health Care Services |
123.2 |
123.2 |
0.0 |
116.7 |
5.6 |
| Transportation |
137.4 |
137.1 |
0.2 |
124.9 |
10.0 |
| Communication |
86.4 |
86.4 |
0.0 |
86.8 |
0.5- |
| Recreation and Culture |
132.1 |
132.6 |
0.4- |
146.9 |
10.1- |
| Education |
139.0 |
139.0 |
0.0 |
139.0 |
0.0 |
| Restaurants |
123.9 |
123.9 |
0.0 |
123.4 |
0.4 |
| Miscellaneous Goods and Services |
146.3 |
145.9 |
0.3 |
145.3 |
0.7 |
| General CPI |
131.4 |
131.4 |
0.0 |
130.5 |
0.7 |
Table 2: Comparison of CPI (2006=100)
Consumer Price Index during November 2018 compared with November 2017:
The CPI increased by 0.7% in November 2018, compared with the same period of 2017, as shown by the increase in the CPI from 130.5 points in November 2017 to 131.4 points in November 2018.
Appendix1:
| Main Group |
Bahraini |
Non-Bahraini |
All |
| Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages |
160.2 |
157.8 |
159.6 |
| Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco |
306.1 |
242.0 |
286.6 |
| Clothing and Footwear |
109.5 |
114.1 |
110.7 |
| Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas and other Fuels |
117.7 |
130.4 |
118.9 |
| Furnishing, Household Equipment and Routine Household Maintenance |
133.2 |
132.8 |
133.3 |
| Health Care Services |
125.0 |
113.4 |
123.2 |
| Transportation |
138.3 |
134.6 |
137.4 |
| Communication |
84.6 |
91.6 |
86.4 |
| Recreation and Culture |
138.6 |
120.7 |
132.1 |
| Education |
130.9 |
152.2 |
139.0 |
| Restaurants |
123.9 |
123.9 |
123.9 |
| Miscellaneous Goods and Services |
160.1 |
116.9 |
146.3 |
| General CPI |
131.8 |
132.1 |
131.4 |
Table 3: CPI of November 2018 (2006=100)
Consumer Price Index Methodology:
The CPI and the inflation rate - issued by the Information & eGovernment Authority - follows a precise methodology and relies on the basket of goods and services out-of-which their prices are regularly collected allowing comprehensive calculations of the price indices with the demanded accuracy. Such technical specifications and methodologies are the only authorized sources to monitor price developments and inflation rates in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
The selected sample of items within the CPI basket are based on the information collected from Household Income and Expenditure Survey 2005/ 2006 in which it covers 476 weighted commodities. The frequency of price collection is different between commodities according to the frequency of commodity price change.