Consumer price index rose in January
According to Statistics Estonia, in January 2019 compared to December 2018, the change of the consumer price index was –0.2% and compared to January of the previous year, 2.7%.
Goods were 1.5% and services 4.9% more expensive compared to January 2018. Regulated prices of goods and services have risen by 4.0% and non-regulated prices by 2.3% compared to January of the previous year.
Compared to January 2018, the consumer price index was affected the most by housing, which contributed nearly half of the total increase. Of the latter, half was contributed by 18.1% more expensive electricity that reached homes and one-sixth by 19.8% more expensive solid fuels. Motor fuels were cheaper in January 2019 compared to January 2018. Petrol was 5.4% and diesel fuel 3.5% less expensive than a year ago. The biggest year-on-year price increases among food products were seen for fresh vegetables (27%), potatoes (25%) and ready-made meals (14%), and the biggest price decreases were seen for sugar (20%), fresh fruit (11%) and eggs (11%).
Due to continuously changing consumption pattern of the population and prices, Statistics Estonia updates the weights system of the consumer price index and the representative goods every year.
In 2019, the weights system of the consumer price index corresponds to the average expenditure structure of the population in 2018. The base prices used for calculations are December prices of the year 2018. To ensure comparability with previous periods, the consumer price index is continued to be published on the base 1997 = 100. The linking month is December 2018.
| Commodity group | Weight 2018, ‰ | Weight 2019, ‰ | December 2018 – January 2019, % | January 2018 – January 2019, % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TOTAL | 1000.0 | 1000.0 | -0.2 | 2.7 |
| Food and non-alcoholic beverages | 227.4 | 217.9 | 0.8 | 1.7 |
| Alcoholic beverages and tobacco | 66.2 | 61.0 | 0.8 | 5.1 |
| Clothing and footwear | 55.8 | 54.6 | -4.8 | 2.6 |
| Housing | 139.7 | 140.6 | 1.3 | 8.8 |
| Household goods | 62.4 | 62.0 | 0.9 | 2.1 |
| Health | 54.0 | 55.0 | 0.2 | 2.7 |
| Transport | 146.2 | 151.7 | -2.7 | -2.8 |
| Communications | 44.1 | 47.9 | -0.4 | -4.8 |
| Recreation and culture | 89.1 | 92.5 | -0.8 | 5.3 |
| Education | 11.6 | 10.8 | 2.4 | 7.2 |
| Hotels, cafés and restaurants | 47.2 | 48.3 | 0.3 | 4.6 |
| Miscellaneous goods and services | 56.3 | 57.7 | 0.5 | 3.7 |
Statistics Estonia publishes the consumer price index on the fifth working day of each month, after the end of the reporting period. For the statistical activity “Consumer price index”, the main representative of public interest is the Ministry of Finance, commissioned by whom Statistics Estonia collects and analyses the data necessary for conducting the statistical activity.