Malaysia’s April inflation at 1.8 % for third consecutive month - DoSM

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s inflation rate remained at 1.8 per cent in April 2024 for the third consecutive month, with index points at 132.4 compared to 130.0 in the same period last year, according to the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DoSM).

DoSM attributed the inflation increase in April 2024 to rises in the main groups of restaurant and accommodation services (3.5 per cent), personal care, social protection, and miscellaneous goods and services (3.1 per cent), and housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels (3.0 per cent).

Inflation for restaurant and accommodation services rose to 3.5 per cent in April 2024 from 3.0 per cent in March 2024, driven mainly by an increase in beverage preparation services, which went up to 3.9 per cent in April 2024 from 3.7 per cent in March 2024.

“The overall monthly inflation recorded an increase of 0.2 per cent compared to 0.1 per cent in March 2024.

“The increase was primarily driven by personal care, social protection, and miscellaneous goods and services (0.9 per cent); recreation, sport, and culture (0.8 per cent); and restaurant and accommodation services (0.3 per cent),“ it said in a statement on the April 2024 Consumer Price Index (CPI).

Meanwhile, core inflation in April 2024 rose to 1.9 per cent compared to 1.7 per cent in March 2024, DoSM reported.

“At the state level, most states recorded inflation rates below the national level of 1.8 per cent. However, four states reported higher increases: Pulau Pinang (3.2 per cent), Sarawak (2.8 per cent), Pahang (2.4 per cent) and Selangor (2.2 per cent),“ it said.

Comparatively, Malaysia’s inflation rate (1.8 per cent) was lower than Vietnam (4.4 per cent), the Philippines (3.8 per cent), the United States (3.4 per cent), Indonesia (3.0 per cent), and the Republic of Korea (2.9 per cent), but higher than Thailand (0.2 per cent) and China (0.3 per cent).