In October, food had the greatest impact on the consumer price index
According to Statistics Estonia, the change of the consumer price index in October 2019 was –0.1% compared to September 2019 and 1.6% compared to October of the previous year.
Compared to October 2018, goods were 0.6% and services 3.3% more expensive. Regulated prices of goods and services fell by 1.8% and non-regulated prices rose by 2.5%. The last time the change of the consumer price index was below 2% compared to the same month of the previous year was in November 2016 (1.0%).
Compared to October 2018, the consumer price index was affected the most by the price increase of food and non-alcoholic beverages. The biggest impact on the latter came from 4.1% more expensive meat products and 5.3% more expensive flour products. Alcoholic beverages were 7.4% cheaper, diesel fuel 4.8% and petrol 3.5% cheaper. Of food products, the biggest price increase was seen for rice (11%) and the biggest price decreases for fresh fish (28%) and potatoes (11%).
Compared to September, the consumer price index was affected the most by the price decrease of food and non-alcoholic beverages. The biggest impact came from cheaper vegetables (7.2%) and cheaper fruit (5.1%). Plane tickets bought for October were 15.5% more expensive than tickets purchased for September and motor fuel was 1.5% more expensive than in September.
| Commodity group | October 2018 – October 2019, % | September 2019 – October 2019, % |
|---|---|---|
| TOTAL | 1.6 | -0.1 |
| Food and non-alcoholic beverages | 2.3 | -1.2 |
| Alcoholic beverages and tobacco | -2.9 | -0.5 |
| Clothing and footwear | 1.8 | 1.7 |
| Housing | 1.7 | -0.1 |
| Household goods | 1.7 | -0.4 |
| Health | 3.2 | 0.6 |
| Transport | -1.8 | 1.3 |
| Communications | -2.0 | -0.6 |
| Recreation and culture | 7.2 | 0.7 |
| Education | 4.4 | 0.0 |
| Hotels, cafés and restaurants | 2.2 | -2.2 |
| Miscellaneous goods and services | 2.6 | -0.1 |
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.