Inflation down in first 7 months

AMMAN — Inflation in the first seven months of 2015 went down by 0.6 per cent, compared to the same period of 2014, the Department of Statistics (DoS) announced Tuesday. 

Main item groups that contributed to the drop are transportation (14 per cent), fuel and lighting (11.7 per cent), vegetables, and dried and canned legumes (2 per cent), beverages (1.1 per cent) and personal objects (3.5 per cent), according to a DoS report sent to The Jordan Times.

In contrast, main item groups that witnessed an increase in their prices during the January-July period included rents (5.4 per cent), fruits and nuts (7.4 per cent), tobacco and cigarettes (4.1 per cent), and education (3.7 per cent).

DoS also noted that average consumer prices went down by 0.6 per cent in July 2015, compared to July 2014.

Major item groups that contributed to the decrease in this year’s July include transportation (11.5 per cent), fuel and lighting (12.4 per cent), personal objects, (5.9 per cent) beverages (1.4 per cent) and grains and their products (0.2 per cent), the DoS report showed.

On the other hand, rents (4.5 per cent), education (3.6 per cent), culture and entertainment (6.9 per cent), and clothes (4.7 per cent) were among the item groups whose prices went up during the seventh month of 2015, DoS announced.

The DoS report also highlighted that the inflation rate in July 2015 went down by 0.4 per cent, compared to the previous month.

DoS started calculating the inflation rate considering 2010 a base year instead of 2006, starting from January 2015 to conform to international classifications and approaches.