Retail Price Index rate of inflation down to 2.6% in May
12-month moving average rate for May stood at 2.6 per cent
The annual rate of inflation as measured by the Retail Price Index last month was 2.6 per cent - down from 2.8 per cent in April.
According to national data released on Monday, the 12-month moving average rate for May stood at 2.6 per cent.
The largest contribution to the overall annual inflation was measured in the food index (+0.51 percentage points), while the only downward contribution was recorded in the clothing and footwear index (-0.20 percentage points).
Price changes and effects on inflation
The highest annual inflation rates in May were registered in housing (6.4 per cent) and other goods and services (4.3 per cent).
On the other hand, the lowest annual inflation rates were registered in clothing and footwear (-3.0 per cent) and water, electricity, gas and fuels (0 per cent).
The food index (+0.51 percentage points), the housing index (+0.50 percentage points), and the transport and communication index (+0.41 percentage points), recorded the largest upward contributions to the overall annual inflation rate.
These were mainly due to higher prices of take-aways, tiles, and air transport services, respectively.
The clothing and footwear index (-0.20 percentage points) recorded a downward contribution to the overall annual inflation rate, mainly reflecting lower prices of garments.
Aggregates
The housing index registered the highest annual inflation rate at 6.4 per cent, of which rent registered an annual rate of 3.2 per cent, materials for house maintenance registered an annual rate of 7.5 per cent, and services for house maintenance registered an annual rate of 6.2 per cent.
The clothing and footwear index registered the lowest annual inflation rate of -3.0 per cent, of which clothing registered an annual rate of -3.0 per cent, and footwear registered an annual rate of -2.8 per cent.