Among the 11 main groups of consumer goods and services, eight saw price hikes compared to the previous month while the three remaining groups saw price decline.
The GSO report shows domestic petrol prices increased by 4.78% and diesel prices rose by 2.01%, prompting transportation and related service costs to expand 1.95%. Notably, aviation transportation costs soared by 10.42% due to high demand for travel during the five-day holiday period, starting from April 27.
Meanwhile, drugs and medical services edged up by 0.92% due to seasonal changes and the emergence of disease-causing viruses.
In addition, other commodities and services seeing price hikes included beverages and tobaccos (up 0.09%); garments, headwear and footware (0.12%); housing and building materials (0.21%); household appliances (0.11%); culture-entertainment-tourism services (0.03%); and other goods and services (0.27%).
The three groups of goods and services with price fall were food and catering services (down 0.13%); postal and telecommunications services (0.17%); and education (2.93%).
In April, domestic gold prices fluctuated in the same direction as world gold prices. The domestic gold price index in April increased by 6.95% compared to the previous month; an increase of 17.01% compared to December 2023; increased 28.62% over the same period last year. The average increase in the first four months of 2024 is 20.75%.
The GSO said the core inflation in April soared by 0.17% over the previous month and by 2.79% over the same period last year. On average, January-April core inflation grew by 2.81% over the same period last year, lower than the CPI average of 3.93%.
