Abu Dhabi: The overall Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased by 0.09 per cent during July 2014 compared to June 2014, while it went up 2.33 per cent compared to July 2013, according to a report released on Sunday by the National Bureau of Statistics.
Figures released in the report show that inflation remained relatively flat during the last half of 2013, but has risen steadily in the first half of this year.
The findings of the CPI for July 2014 at the national level indicate increases in the prices of beverages and tobacco, which rose by 0.9 per cent over the previous month, followed by medical care (up 0.52 per cent), housing (up 0.37 per cent), and transportation (up 0.25 per cent).
Greatest inflation rate
At the same time, there were also decreases in other major expenditure groups. These include food and soft drinks (down 0.55 per cent), furniture and household goods (down 0.03 per cent), and restaurants and hotels (down 0.02 per cent).
However, comparing the CPI index during July 2014 to the same time last year, the report shows that beverages and tobacco had the greatest inflation rate of 4.85 per cent, followed by furniture and household goods with 4.61 per cent, and education with 4.55 per cent.
At the emirate level, the CPI fluctuated considerably with Dubai registering the greatest increase of 0.46 per cent, while Abu Dhabi fell 0.05 per cent.
