Dubai’s inflation rate rises to 4.2% in April

Increases 0.23 per cent compared with March

May 14, 2015

Dubai: Dubai’s inflation rate rose to 4.2 per cent in April over the same period in 2014 and to 0.23 per cent compared with the previous month, according to a statement on Thursday from the Dubai Statistic Centre (DSC).

The increase was a result of a rise in prices of miscellaneous goods and services by 3.56 per cent year-on-year and 1.35 per cent month-on-month; education, which accounts for 4 per cent of the basket, by 2.2 per cent year-on-year and 0.47 per cent month-on-month; and housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuel costs by 7.1 per cent year-on-year and 0.33 per cent month-on-month.

Also, prices increased for furnishings, household equipment and routine household maintenance (7.3 per cent year-on-year and 0.03 per cent month-on-month).

However, prices dropped for the beverages and tobacco group by 1.2 per cent in April compared with the same month in 2014; transport by 0.22 per cent, and restaurants and hotels by 0.04 per cent year-on-year.

Prices of food and beverage edged down 0.13 per cent year-on-year, but increased 0.06 per cent month-on-month, while prices of recreation and culture edged up 0.01 per cent year-on-year and declined 0.15 per cent month-on-month.

Dubai’s inflation rate rose to 4.3 per cent in the first quarter of 2015 due to higher prices of furnishings, household equipment and routine household maintenance, which grew by 9.95 per cent in the first three months of the year compared with the same period in 2014, as well as beverages and tobacco (9.35 per cent) and clothing and footwear (8.4 per cent), as per a report by DSC.

Dubai’s March inflation rose 0.2 per cent compared with February 2015, which saw inflation reach 4.3 per cent.