On an annual basis, the country's consumer price inflation accelerated to 2.7% in September from 2.5% in August, INSTAT said in a monthly report.
The month-on-month CPI increase in September was largely due to a 2.9% increase in meat prices and a 2.5% rise in the price of bread and cereal products. Prices of books, textbooks and teaching aids went up 32.2% on the month in September when the academic year began, INSTAT said.
The annual rise in CPI was mainly due to a 19.1% increase in the price of bread and cereal products, a 13.4% growth in oil prices and a 15% rise in water prices. Vegetables and potato prices fell by 23.2% year-on-year.
CPI reached 101.3 points in September compared to its base of 100 points in December 2007. In August the index measured 100.2 points.
In September 2007, consumer prices went up by 0.9% on the month and were 4.4% higher on the year.
Albania's September 2008 consumer prices (pct change):
M/M | Y/Y | |
TOTAL | +1.1 | +2.7 |
Food+Drinks | +2.1 | +2.9 |
Spirits+Tobacco | +1.3 | +1.4 |
Clothing+Shoes | +0.3 | -3.9 |
Rents+Energy+Water | +0.5 | +4.4 |
Furnishings+Household Equipment | +0.1 | 0.0 |
Healthcare | +0.4 | +1.2 |
Transport | -0.5 | +10.8 |
Communications | -9.1 | -9.2 |
Culture+Entertainment | +10.2 | +10.3 |
Education | +0.5 | 0.0 |
Hotels+Cafes+Restaurants | +0.4 | +2.2 |
Other | +0.1 | +0.8 |
NOTE: Albania targets an average annual inflation rate of 3.0% this year, the same as last year. The average annual inflation rate for 2006 was 2.36%, compared to 2.4% in 2005.