Riyadh – Mubasher: The Saudi Consumer Price Index (CPI) levelled up by 1.1% in May 2020, versus a 2.9% drop in the corresponding month a year earlier.

The food and beverages and the miscellaneous goods and services categories contributed the most to the inflation rise, given the increase in their average prices by 7% and 2.4%, respectively, according to data by the Saudi General Authority for Statistics (GaStat).

Month-on-month (MoM), the CPI came 1.3% lower than its reading in April, largely owing to falling average prices of the transport category by 3.8%.

In the meantime, prices for housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels slid by 0.4% as rents for housing inched down by 0.4%.

In April 2020, inflation grew by 1.3% on an annual basis.