The core inflation in Qatar's grew faster than the general consumer price index (CPI) inflation year-on-year in January 2022, according to the official statistics.
The CPI of January 2022 excluding “housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels, surged 5.49% year-on-year; while the general CPI inflation rose 4.16% in the review period, said the figures released by the Planning and Statistics Authority.
Qatar's cost of living, based on CPI inflation, rose on a yearly basis this January mainly on higher expenses towards recreation, food, transport and clothing.
In its latest Qatar Economic Outlook, PSA said the country is expected to see imported and domestic inflationary pressures due to the rise in prices of basic commodities in global markets caused by the bottlenecks in commodity supply chains as well as the negative repercussions of expansionary financial and monetary policies.
On a monthly basis, the country's CPI inflation was down 0.97%; while core inflation fell 1.31% in January 2022.
The index of recreation and culture, which has an 11.13% weight in the CPI basket, soared 26.42% year-on-year even as it shrank 7.73% month-on-month in January 2022.
Food and beverages, which has a weight of 13.45% in the CPI basket, witnessed 7.23% and 1.91% expansion on yearly and monthly basis respectively in January 2022.
The index of transport, which has a 14.59% weight, was seen shooting up 6.58% year-on-year but declined 0.28% on monthly basis this January.
The sector has the direct linkage to the dismantling of the administered prices in petrol and diesel as part of the government measures to lower the subsidies.
In January 2022, the price of super, premium gasoline and diesel witnessed a huge 68.95%, 53.85% and 57.69% surge year-on-year respectively. On a monthly basis, the price of super and premium was flat but diesel became costlier by 2.5%.
Miscellaneous goods and services, with a 5.65% weight, saw its index jump 2.55% and 0.41% year-on-year and month-on-month in January 2022.
The index of clothing and footwear, which has a 5.58% weight in the CPI basket, was seen gaining 1.99% on a yearly basis but plummeted 2.63% on a monthly basis in January 2022.
Communication, which carries a 5.23% weight, saw its group index rise 0.57% and 0.7% year-on-year and month-on-month respectively in the review period.
Education, with a 5.78% weight, saw its index jump 0.48%on a yearly basis but was down 0.02% month-on-month this January.
In the case of furniture and household equipment, which has a 7.88% weight in the CPI basket, the index grew 0.34% on a yearly basis but was down 0.33% month-on-month in January this year.
However, the index of health, which has a 2.65% weight, plunged 3.09% and 2.51% on a yearly and monthly basis respectively in January this year.
The index of restaurants and hotels, which has a 6.61% weight, tanked 2.7% and 3.47% year-on-year and month-on-month respectively in January 2022.
The index of housing, water, electricity and other fuels – with a weight of 21.17% in the CPI basket – saw 1.31% shrinkage on a yearly basis but was up 0.6% on a monthly basis this January
The tobacco index, which has a 0.28% weight, was unchanged on yearly and monthly basis in the review period.