Consumer Price Index increases by 7.1 percent, with monthly price increase highest in North Lebanon, Bekaa, South Lebanon

BEIRUT — The Central Administration of Statistics announced Friday that the Consumer Price Index increased by 7.1 percent, totaling 1092.21 points, between March and April, during which a year-on-year inflation rate of 206.24 percent was recorded.

Here’s what we know:

    • Year-on-year prices increased most for the transport sector which recorded an inflation rate of 492.09 percent, followed by the health sector at 430.64 percent; water, electricity, gas and other fuels at 408.55 percent; and food and non-alcoholic beverages at 374.48 percent.

    • Monthly price hikes were steepest for clothing and footwear, which rose by 24.5 percent; food and non-alcoholic beverage prices, at 15.31 percent; health sector prices at 7.37 percent; and water, electricity, gas and other fuel prices at 7.21 percent.

    • The least affected sectors were communication and education, with year-on-year increases of 9.6 percent and 36.21 percent respectively and monthly increases of 0.73 percent for the communication sector and no change in education prices.

    • The monthly price increase by region was greatest in North Lebanon at 9.98 percent, followed by the Bekaa, South Lebanon, Mount Lebanon and Beirut at 7.41 percent, 7.37 percent, 6.69 percent, 6.31 percent and 5.76 percent, respectively.

    • The continued upward trend in inflation was expected amid global increases in commodity prices tied to the Russian invasion of Ukraine while Lebanon approaches a third year of its economic crisis.