Malaysia’s inflation rate edges up to 2.2%: DOSM

KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased 2.2% year-on-year (y-o-y) to 122.8 in September 2021 from 120.1 in the same month last year, said the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DoSM) today.

The CPI recorded an increase for the eighth consecutive month since February 2021 due to the low base effect.

Commenting on the report, chief statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin said the transport group continued to record a double-digit increase since March, expanding 11.0% y-o-y in September 2021.

He said food and non-alcoholic beverages rose 1.9% and the highest increase was recorded by meat with 5.8%, mainly due to the increase in the average price of chicken in September 2021 to RM9.35 per kilogramme (kg) as compared with RM8.50 per kg in September 2020.

“Additionally, the subgroup of fish and seafood went up by 3.5%, mainly attributed by the increase in average prices of Indian Mackerel to RM15.60,” he said in a statement today.

Mohd Uzir said furnishings, household equipment and routine household maintenance increased 1.7%, followed by housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels (0.7%) and recreation services and culture (0.6%).

Both restaurants and hotels and health grew 0.3%, while alcoholic beverages and tobacco inclined 0.4%, he said, adding communication remained unchanged while both clothing and footwear and miscellaneous goods and services contracted by 0.5%, while education declined 0.1% y-o-y.

Mohd Uzir said the CPI for the third quarter of 2021 inclined 2.2% to 122.6 from 120.0 in the same quarter of the preceding year.

“On a month-to-month comparison, the CPI increased 0.2% as compared to August 2021.

The increase was attributed by food and non-alcoholic beverages (0.6%); housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels (0.1%) and furnishings, household equipment and routine household maintenance (0.1%),” he said.

Meanwhile, the CPI without fuel increased 0.8% in September 2021 to 113.4 as compared to 112.5 in the same month of the preceding year, he added.

CPI without fuel covers all goods and services except Unleaded Petrol RON95, Unleaded Petrol RON97, and Diesel. 

He also highlighted that all states recorded an increase in the CPI in September 2021.

“Eight states, namely Terengganu (3.1%), Pahang (2.8%), Kelantan (2.8%), Sarawak (2.5%), Perak (2.5%), Johor (2.4%), Kedah and Perlis (2.4%), and Melaka (2.3%) surpassed the national CPI rate of 2.2% in September 2021,” he added. – Bernama, October 22, 2021