Food, clothing push Kuwait cost of living to new heights

19/11/2024

Food, clothing push Kuwait cost of living to new heights

KUWAIT CITY, Nov 19: Kuwait’s consumer price index (inflation), on an annual basis, grew by 2.44 percent last October, according to the Kuwait Central Statistical Bureau (KCSB). In a statement to KUNA on Tuesday, the bureau said the inflation rate rose 0.13 percent, compared to last September -- monthly. It attributed the rise in inflation on an annual basis to the increase in the prices of the main groups that affect the movement of the index numbers, especially clothing, food and education, excluding transportation. The index for the first group (food and beverages) rose by 4.98 pct last October compared to the same month in 2023, while the price index for the second group (cigarettes and tobacco) rose slightly by 0.15 pct on an annual basis, it added.

Further, it stated that the index of the third group (clothing) rose by 5.56 pct, while the prices of the housing services group rose by 0.57 pct, and the inflation rate in the fifth group (home furnishings) rose by 4.06 pct. The bureau also noted that the inflation rate in Kuwait, excluding the food and beverages group, rose by 1.87 pct on an annual basis last October. (KUNA)