Doha: The Consumer Price Index (CPI) of November 2020 reached to 95.91 points showing a decrease by 0.39 percent compared to CPI of October 2020, according to figures released by the Planning and Statistics Authority (PSA), yesterday. Compared to CPI of November 2019, a decrease of 2.94 percent has been recorded in the index of this month.
This release of CPI, is the eleventh issuance using the new base of 2018, calculated from the results of the household income and Expenditure survey 2017/2018. Classification of Individual Consumption According to Purpose (CIOCOP) has been used in this edition, which divided the prices basket to twelve main groups, started with “Food and Nonalcoholic beverages” group, and to end up with “Miscellaneous goods and Services” group.
A total of 737 commodities and services have been covered all the groups. Looking at the relative importance of the base year 2018, it has been found that, the pattern of households did not change much during the previous five years, since the relative importance between 2013 and 2018 was almost equal during the period, and no major change was observed on them.
An analysis on Month-onMonth basis of CPI for November 2020 compared with CPI of October 2020, shows that there are four main groups, where respective indices in this month have decreased, namely: “Food and Beverages” by 1.90 percent, “Transport” by 1.04 percent, “Miscellaneous Goods and Services” by 0.30 percent, and slightly decrease with “Education” by 0.01 percent.
An increase has been recorded in “Clothing and Footwear” by 0.90 percent, and “Restaurants and Hotels” by 0.13 percent. “Tobacco”, “Housing, Water, Electricity and other Fuel”, “Furniture and Household Equipment”, “Health”, “Communication”, “Recreation and Culture” had remained flat at the last month’s price level. A comparison of the CPI, November 2020 with the CPI, November 2019 , a decrease has been recorded in CPI, by 2.94 percent. This price decrease primary due to the prices decline in four groups namely: “Recreation and Culture” by 20.35%, “Clothing and Footwear” by 5.19 percent, “Housing, Water, Electricity and other Fuel” by 5.04 percent, and “Food and Beverages” by 1.11 percent. An increase has been shown in price levels in seven groups namely: “Tobacco “by 8.37 percent, “Restaurants and Hotels” by 4.04 percent, “Education” by 2.67 percent, “Health” by 1.69 percent, “Transport” by 0.99 percent, “Communication” by 0.89 percent, and “Furniture and Household Equipment” by 0.35 percent. The CPI of November, 2020 excluding “Housing, Water, Electricity and other Fuel” group stands at 97.23 points showing a decrease of 0.49 percent when compared to the index of October 2020, and a 2.28 percent compared to CPI of November 2019.
