The inflation rate in Oman increased by 1.5% in July 2024 compared to the same month in 2023, according to data from the Consumer Price Index issued by the National Centre for Statistics and Information.
The data showed a rise in prices across several categories, including a 4.5% increase in the food and non-alcoholic beverages group, a 3.1% rise in miscellaneous goods and services, and a 2.4% increase in health-related costs. Housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels saw a 1.7% rise, while prices for culture and entertainment increased by 0.8%. Restaurants and hotels recorded a 0.6% increase, and clothing, footwear, furniture, household equipment, and routine home maintenance saw a 0.3% rise.
In contrast, the transportation group experienced a 1.7% decrease, education prices fell by 0.4%, and prices in the tobacco and communications groups remained stable.
Within the food and non-alcoholic beverages group, the price of vegetables rose sharply by 20%, fruits by 7.6%, and milk, cheese, and eggs by 4.7%. Other notable increases included meat prices rising by 2.2%, sugar, jam, honey, sweets by 2%, and fish and seafood by 1.8%.
Regionally, North Al Sharqiyah Governorate recorded the highest inflation rate at 2.3% by the end of July 2024, followed by South Al Sharqiyah at 2.2% and Musandam and Al Wusta Governorates at 2.1%. Other governorates experienced varying inflation rates, with Muscat Governorate recording the lowest at 1.2%.