In December, the biggest impact on the consumer price index came from transport and housing
In December 2019, goods were 1.7% and services 1.9% more expensive compared to December 2018. Regulated prices of goods and services fell by 0.8% and non-regulated prices rose by 2.5%.
Compared to December 2018, the consumer price index was affected the most by transport. Its main contributors were 10.6% more expensive petrol and 6% more expensive diesel fuel. Slightly smaller than transport’s impact was that of food and non-alcoholic beverages. Meat and meat products (6.2% more expensive) and fresh fruit (8.9%) contributed more than half of the latter. Of food products, the biggest price increase was seen for other cereal products (12%) and the biggest price decreases for potatoes (17%) and spirits and liqueurs (12%).
Compared to November, the consumer price index was affected the most by housing. Electricity that reached homes was 5.4% and water supply 24.1% cheaper. The latter was caused by a decrease in water fees in the capital city. A bigger impact also came from transport: the prices of petrol rose by 3.1%, diesel fuel by 3.6%, and plane tickets purchased for December were 10.5% more expensive than those bought for November.
| Commodity group | December 2018 – December 2019, % | November 2019 – December 2019, % |
|---|---|---|
| TOTAL | 1.8 | -0.3 |
| Food and non-alcoholic beverages | 2.9 | 0.0 |
| Alcoholic beverages and tobacco | -3.2 | -0.8 |
| Clothing and footwear | 0.3 | -1.9 |
| Housing | -2.4 | -2.1 |
| Household goods | 0.9 | -0.7 |
| Health | 3.3 | 0.3 |
| Transport | 4.6 | 1.8 |
| Communications | -1.8 | -0.5 |
| Recreation and culture | 5.1 | 0.0 |
| Education | 4.5 | 0.0 |
| Hotels, cafés and restaurants | 4.0 | -0.3 |
| Miscellaneous goods and services | 1.4 | -1.4 |
Statistics Estonia publishes the consumer price index on the 5th 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.
More detailed data have been published in the statistical database. See also the consumer price index calculator.