JEDDAH: Oman’s consumer prices rose 3.2 percent year on year in April, pointing to a steady but contained rise in inflation, driven mainly by higher costs in essential goods and services, according to official data.
Figures from the National Center for Statistics and Information, or NCSI, showed that average inflation between January and April increased by 2.6 percent, the Oman News Agency reported.
Regionally, inflation trends remained mixed, with Saudi Arabia recording a 1.7 percent rise in consumer prices in April, while Kuwait posted 2.06 percent in March. Qatar’s latest available reading stood at 2.51 percent in February, and Bahrain recorded 1.1 percent in March.
The ONA said: “The data showed that the miscellaneous personal goods and services group topped the list of groups with the highest increase at 9.2 percent, followed by the food and non-alcoholic beverages group with an increase of 6.2 percent.”
The transport group recorded a 6 percent rise, followed by restaurants and hotels at 4.5 percent. Furniture, furnishings, household equipment and maintenance increased 3 percent, while education prices rose 2.2 percent.
