Skip to main content

Sharp drop in consumer inflation

| Economic factors

South Africa's consumer price inflation came out at 4.4% in January 2018, in line with expectations and down from 4.7% in December 2017. This is mainly due to a drop in the fuel price.

The consumer price index (CPI) increased by 0.3% month-on-month (m/m) in January 2018.

Transport decreased from 0.9 of a percentage point in December to 0.6 of a percentage point in January. The index increased by 4.4% year-on-year.

Food and non-alcoholic beverages contributed 0.2 of a percentage point in January. The index increased by 1.3% m/m. 

Transport contributed -0.1 of a percentage point in January. The index decreased by 0.4% m/m.

Miscellaneous goods and services contributed 0.1 of a percentage point in January. The index increased by 0.7% m/m.

In January the CPI for goods increased by 3.7% year-on-year (y/y), down from 4.1% in December. The CPI for services increased by 5,1% y/y, down from 5.3 % in December.

Provincial annual inflation rates ranged from 2.9% in North West to 5.2% in Western Cape.

Pin It

Related Articles

South African motorists are set to face steeper fuel costs from Wednesday, 6 May, with increases in both petrol and diesel exceeding earlier projections.
Rising fuel prices are continuing to push up the cost of food, with the price of a basic nutritional basket for a seven-person household now sitting 12.4% above the national minimum wage.
After April delivered record-breaking increases in petrol and diesel prices—partly cushioned by a temporary R3 per litre tax relief—South Africans are anxiously awaiting clarity on what lies ahead for May.
Fears that the conflict in the Middle East will trigger a steep surge in South Africa’s food prices may be overstated, with new insights suggesting the impact could be more contained than initially expected.
For many households, the real cost of driving is already higher than they think. Calculations using the Automobile Association’s current vehicle rates show that a typical 7.5km round trip – the…