Continuing its downward trend, the inflation rate dropped to 5.7% in February 2025, compared to 6% in January 2025, according to the National Institute of Statistics (INS) on Wednesday.
This decline in inflation is primarily attributed to the slowdown in the annual price increases for the “food products” group (7% in February 2025 compared to 7.1% in January 2025), the “clothing and footwear” group (8.6% in February 2025 compared to 9.7% in January 2025), the “health services” group (4% in February 2025 compared to 9.1% in January 2025), and the “housing, water, gas, electricity, and other fuels” group (3.8% in February 2025 compared to 4.1% in January 2025).
As for the core inflation rate (excluding food and energy), it also decreased to 5.7% in February 2025, down from 6% in January, the INS stated in a note on the “Consumer Price Index for February 2025.”
According to the INS, the “Manufactured Products” group and the “Fresh Food” group were the sectors that contributed the most to overall inflation, each with a rate of 2%.
By category, the “Non-Food Free” group and the “Free Food” group were the largest contributors to inflation, with rates of 3.2% and 1.9%, respectively. Meanwhile, the “Regulated Food Products” group made the smallest contribution at 0.1%.
Slight decrease in consumer prices
In February 2025, consumer prices experienced a slight decrease of 0.1% compared to January. This drop was mainly driven by a 3.6% decline in prices for the “clothing and footwear” group due to winter sales and a 0.1% decrease in the “housing, water, gas, electricity, and other fuels” group following the implementation of new electricity pricing.
In contrast, food prices rose by 0.5%, according to the INS. This increase was attributed to higher prices for lamb (+2.7%), fresh vegetables (+1.5%), and fresh fruits (+1.4%). On the other hand, prices for edible oils fell by 2.1%, while poultry prices dropped by 1.6%.
Food prices increase by 7% annually
On an annual basis, food prices rose by 7%. This increase was primarily due to higher prices for lamb (+21.4%), fresh vegetables (+18.7%), dried fruits (+14.2%), fresh fish (+13.4%), and poultry (+10.5%). In contrast, prices for edible oils decreased by 16.2%, the same source added.
Prices for manufactured products and services also saw an increase of 5.2%, driven by rises in clothing and footwear prices (+9.7%) and household maintenance products (+4.8%).
For services, prices increased by 5.1% year-on-year, mainly due to higher prices in the “restaurants, cafes, and hotels” group (+11.4%).
