Statistics: Consumer prices increased nearly 2 percent on year to January
The difference in the consumer price index in January 2020 compared to January 2019 was 1.6 percent with the increase coming from food and transport, data from Statistics Estonia shows.
The change of the consumer price index in January 2020 was an 0.4 percent increase compared to December 2019 and a rise of 1.6 percent compared to January 2019.
Goods and services were 1.6 percent more expensive than in January 2019. Regulated prices of goods and services fell by 1.1 percent and non-regulated prices rose by 2.4 percent compared to January 2019.
Compared to January 2019, the consumer price index was affected the most by transport. The rise came from fuel costs which was a 14.2 percent increase in petrol prices and 12.3 percent for diesel fuel.
The impact of food and non-alcoholic beverages prices was also significant. Most of this came from meat and meat products which increased by 5 percent, fresh fruit which rose by 14.9 percent and flour and cereal products which grew by 4.2 percent.
The biggest changes in prices were for transport and utilities. While transport rose, water supply was 23.9 percent cheaper due to a decrease in water fees in the capital. The electricity that reached homes was also 18.2 percent cheaper.
When compared to December 2019, the consumer price index was affected the most by the sales of clothing and footwear. Electricity was cheaper as were plane tickets.
Due to continuously changing consumption patterns of the population and prices, Statistics Estonia updates the weights system of the consumer price index and the representative goods every year.
Starting from January 2020, the base prices used for calculations are December prices of the year 2019. To ensure comparability with previous periods, the consumer price index is continued to be published on the base 1997 = 100.
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Editor: Helen Wright