The Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased 2.6 percent to 113.6 in September 2015 compared with the 110.7 recorded in the same month last year, the Statistics Department said.

The rise in the CPI was led by increases in the index for alcoholic beverages and tobacco group, miscellaneous goods and services, health, restaurants and hotels, food and non-alcoholic beverages and furnishing, household equipment and routine household maintenance.

These six groups of goods and services which weighted 47.4 contributed 86.6 percent to the increase in the CPI for September, the department said in a statement.

In addition, the overall index was influenced by the increase in communication (3.2 percent), housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels (2.7 percent), and education (2.5 percent).

On a monthly basis, the CPI for September decreased 0.3 percent.

The department said of the twelve major groups of goods and services, seven recorded an increase, one registered a decline, while four remained unchanged.

Among the major groups which recorded increases in September were miscellaneous goods and services (one percent), health (0.3 percent), food and non-alcoholic beverages (0.2 percent), clothing and footwear (0.2 percent), recreation services and culture (0.2 percent) and restaurants and hotels (0.2 percent).

On the other hand, a decrease was recorded in the index of transport by 2.8 percent.

Meanwhile, the CPI for the first nine months of 2015 also registered an increase of 1.8 percent compared with the same period last year led by increases among the main groups with high weights.

They were food and non-alcoholic beverages (3.4 percent) and housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels (2.4 percent).

Other increases were alcoholic beverages and tobacco (11.5 percent), health (4.4 percent), restaurants and hotels (four percent) and miscellaneous goods and services (3.6 percent).

On the other hand, a decrease was recorded in the transport index of 4.1 percent.

- Bernama