The greatest impact on the annual change of the consumer price index came from housing
According to Statistics Estonia, the consumer price index increased 3.4% in 2018 compared to the average of 2017.
The annual change of the consumer price index was affected the most by housing, which contributed a quarter of the total increase of the index. The biggest contributors to the latter were electricity that reached homes, solid fuels, and rentals, which were respectively 10.9%, 15.3% and 7% more expensive. Motor fuel, and food and non-alcoholic beverages, each contributed a fifth of the total increase. The price increase of petrol was 12.3% and that of diesel fuel 11.4%.
In 2018, compared to the average of 2017, the biggest price increases among food products were seen for eggs (25%), frozen fruit and berries (22.7%) and beer (17,9%), and the biggest price decrease for sugar (19.2%).
| Commodity group | 2017–2018, % |
|---|---|
| TOTAL | 3.4 |
| Food and non-alcoholic beverages | 3.1 |
| Alcoholic beverages and tobacco | 8.6 |
| Clothing and footwear | 0.8 |
| Housing | 6.3 |
| Household goods | 0.8 |
| Health | 4.4 |
| Transport | 3.6 |
| Communications | -4.7 |
| Recreation and culture | 2.7 |
| Education | -1.9 |
| Hotels, cafés and restaurants | 4.2 |
| Miscellaneous goods and services | 3.5 |
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 this statistical activity.