Consumer Price Index

Overview

 

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased 0.2 per cent in December 2018 to 121.1 compared to 120.9 in corresponding month of the preceding year. The increase in the overall index was due to higher price for Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas & Other Fuels (+2.0 per cent), Restaurants & Hotels (+1.3 per cent), Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco (+1.1 per cent), Education (+1.1 per cent) and Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages (+0.7 per cent). (Chart 1). 

On a monthly basis, CPI increased 0.1 per cent as compared to November 2018. CPI for the period January-December 2018 registered an increase of 1.0 per cent as compared to the same period last year.


Chart 1: Consumer Price Index (2010=100): Percentage Change by Main Groups, Malaysia, December 2018/December 2017

Index for Sub-Groups Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages

The overall index for Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages which accounted 29.5 per cent in the CPI weights increased 0.7 per cent in December 2018. This was attributed by the food sub-group index of Meat (+1.0 per cent), Milk & Eggs (+0.9 per cent) and Fruits (+0.5 per cent). Meanwhile, the index for sub-group Vegetables decreased 4.4 per cent, followed by index for sub-groups Sugar, Jam, Honey, Chocolate & Confectionery (-2.0 per cent) and Oils & Fats (-0.8 per cent). The decrease was due to the decline in the index of goods in most states such as Garlic (-19.5 per cent), Shallot (-13.7 per cent), Red Chilly (-11.1 per cent), Onion Big (-9.9 per cent), Choy Sum (-7.0 per cent), Cuttlefish (-3.2 per cent), Indian Mackerel (Fish) (-0.5 per cent) and Prawn (-0.5 per cent).

Meanwhile, the index for Food Away From Home increased 2.7 per cent in December 2018 as against December 2017. The rise in the price of Fried Chicken, Rice with Side Dishes and Food Made from Noodles contributed to the increase of the index of this sub-group.

Table 1: Consumer Price Index (2010=100): Annual Percentage Change by Sub-Groups Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages, Malaysia, December 2018/December 2017

States Index

In terms of overall CPI, three states surpassed the national CPI rate of 0.2 per cent recorded in December 2018 as compared to December 2017. The states were Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur (+1.0 per cent), Pulau Pinang (+0.6 per cent) and Negeri Sembilan (+0.4 per cent). Selangor & Wilayah Persekutuan Putrajaya recorded the same rate as the national CPI.

The increase in the index for Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages was reflected in most states in Malaysia. Three states recorded higher increases for Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages index above the national index level (+0.7 per cent) in December 2018 as compared to the corresponding month in 2017. The index for Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages rose 3.9 per cent in Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, followed by Pulau Pinang (+1.0 per cent) and Negeri Sembilan (+0.8 per cent). Selangor & Wilayah Persekutuan Putrajaya recorded the same rate as the national index level for Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages. (Chart 2)


Chart 2: Consumer Price Index (2010=100): Annual Percentage Change for Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages by State, December 2018/December 2017

Core Index

Core index increased 0.4 per cent in December 2018 as compared to the same month of the previous year. Among the major groups which influenced the higher core rate were price increases for Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas & Other Fuels (+2.3 per cent), Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages (+1.3 per cent), Restaurants & Hotels (+1.3 per cent) and Education (+1.1 per cent). (Table 2)

Core index, which excludes most volatile items of fresh food as well as administered prices of goods and services recorded changes ranging from -0.2 per cent to 2.2 per cent for the period January to December 2018 as compared with the same period of the previous year. (Table 2)

Table 2: Consumer Price Index (2010=100): Percentage Change of Headline CPI, Seasonally Adjusted Index and Core Index by Main Groups, Malaysia, December 2018/December 2017

Annex 1: Average Price for Selected Items in Malaysia, December 2018 (RM) 


 

 

Released By:

DATO' SRI DR. MOHD UZIR MAHIDIN
CHIEF STATISTICIAN MALAYSIA

DEPARTMENT OF STATISTICS, MALAYSIA
 DrUzir_Mahidin      Dr_Uzir

24 January 2019
 

Contact person:

Ho Mei Kei
Public Relation Officer
Strategic Communication and International Division
Department of Statistics, Malaysia
Tel : +603-8885 7942
Fax : +603-8888 9248
Email : mkho[at]dosm.gov.my

Subscribe
Newsletter

Subscribe to our newsletter and stay updated

Follow Us
Follow our Facebook page and stay updated
Follow

For interviews, press statement and clarification to the media, contact:

Baharudin Mohamad

Public Relation Officer

Email: baharudin[at]dosm.gov.my

Phone: 03 8885 7942


Not found what you looking for? Request data from us, through

Go to eStatistik

email to data[at]dosm.gov.my

call 03 8885 7128 (data request)

TOP