Riyadh – Mubasher: Saudi Arabia’s consumer price index (CPI) went up by 0.3% in August, compared to the same month in 2020, according to official data on Wednesday.

The increase was mainly attributed to higher prices of transport with 6.5%, which was the main driver of the annual inflation.

Food and beverages prices also rose by 1.9% last August, the communication services basket increased by 2.6%, and prices of tobacco edged up 0.6%.

Prices of restaurants and hotels also added 0.6%, as accommodation services witnessed a 2.4% growth in prices, the Saudi General Authority for Statistics (GaStat) announced.

Meanwhile, prices for education declined by 7.8%, while the housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels basket decreased by 3.5%.

On a monthly basis, Saudi Arabia’s inflation was stable compared to July, as the CPI inched up 0.1%.

The marginal rise in prices resulted from 0.8% rise in food and beverage prices.

On the other hand, prices of the transport basket decreased by 0.3%.

Prices for education and health, meanwhile, did not register any significant changes in August compared to July.