Oman’s annual inflation rate reaches 1.14% in April 2023

Muscat: The annual inflation rate in the Sultanate of Oman reached 1.14 percent by the end of April 2023, according to the monthly consumer price survey data issued by the National Center for Statistics and Information (NCSI).

The inflation rate was driven by the increase in most of the main groups that make up the consumer price index, led by restaurants and hotels by 3.65 percent, furniture, fixtures, household equipment and regular household maintenance work by 3.46 percent, and foodstuffs and non-alcoholic beverages by 2.72 percent, whose rise was due to the increase in the prices of all components of the group. On top of them are fish and seafood with 10.28 percent, milk, cheese and eggs with 9.39 percent, oils and fats with 7.39 percent, non-alcoholic beverages with 4.34 percent, other foodstuffs with 4.02 percent, sugar, jam, honey and sweets with 3.65 percent, and bread and cereals with 3.28 percent. Fruits decreased by 1.86 percent, meat by 0.95 percent, while the prices of vegetables decreased by 8.99 percent.

Likewise, the prices of the culture and entertainment groups increased by 1.95 percent, miscellaneous goods and services by 1.83 percent, health by 1.28 percent, clothing and shoes by 0.66 percent, education by 0.05 percent, and the group of housing, water, electricity, gas and other types of fuel, which rose by 0.02 percent.

While the prices of the tobacco group decreased by 0.02 percent, transportation by 0.15 percent, and communications by 0.16 percent.

Al Buraimi Governorate recorded the highest inflation rate among the governorates at 2.27 percent, then Muscat Governorate at 1.37 percent, followed by Al Dakhiliyah Governorate at 1.34 percent, then Al Dhahirah Governorate at 1.29 percent, followed by North Al Batinah Governorate at 0.98 percent, then the North and South A’Sharqiyah Governorates at 0.63 percent. The Dhofar Governorate recorded the lowest rate of inflation at 0.50 percent.