Inflation up by 1.65% in first nine months of 2024 – DoS

AMMAN — The Consumer Price Index (CPI), a key measure of inflation, increased by 1.65 per cent in the first nine months of 2024, reaching 110.57 points compared with 108.78 points in the same period of 2023, according to a report released by the Department of Statistics (DoS) on Monday.

The DoS report cited personal luggage as the most significant contributors to increasing inflation, accounting for 10.52 per cent, followed by water and sanitation at 7.34 per cent, union contributions at 5.86 per cent, rents at 389 per cent, and vegetables, dried and canned legumes at 3.76 per cent. 

For September 2024, the CPI reached 110.81 points, marking a 1.01 per cent increase compared with 109.70 points in July 2023, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

Key drivers of the monthly inflation were personal luggage, up by 17.07 per cent, and sanitation by 7.34 per cent, tobacco by 6.7 per cent, union contributions by 5.86 per cent and entertainment by 4.99 per cent.

Declines in clothing by 4.59 per cent, fruit and nuts by 3.18 per cent, vegetables and dried and canned legumes by 3 per cent, furniture, carpets and bedding by 2.94 per cent helped moderate the overall increase, DoS added.

On a month-to-month basis, the index for September 2024 went down to 110.81 points compared with August's 111.17 points. 

The most notable contributors to the monthly decline were vegetables, dried and canned legumes at 5.1 per cent, meat and poultry at 4.03 per cent, clothing at 3.10 per cent, fruits and nuts at 2.58 per cent and transport at 0.98 per cent.