KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 24): Malaysia's inflation, as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), declined 0.2% in January 2021 to 122.1 from 122.4 recorded in the same month of 2020, said the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM).

In a statement today, DOSM said the January 2021 CPI decline was attributed by several indexes, namely transport (-5.1%), housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels (-0.7%), clothing and footwear (-0.4%), and restaurant and hotels (-0.1%), which contributed 44.5% to overall weight.

"Out of 552 items covered in CPI, 340 items showed an increase in January 2021 as against January 2020. On the contrary, 138 items declined, while 74 items were unchanged," said its chief statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin.

Based on performances of 552 items by category of goods and services, non-durable goods (296 items) were the category that recorded the highest number of items that increased in prices with 208, while 71 items decreased in prices and 17 items were unchanged compared to services, semi-durable goods and durable goods.

Nevertheless, food and non-alcoholic beverages increased by 1.5% to 136.1 compared with 134.1 in the corresponding month of the preceding year. This group contributes to 29.5% of CPI weight. 

Similarly, miscellaneous goods and services inclined by 1.8%, followed by alcoholic beverages and tobacco (0.7%); health (0.7%); furnishings, household equipment and routine household maintenance (0.2%) and education (0.2%).

Meanwhile, Mohd Uzir also said the CPI without fuel increased 0.5% in January 2021 to 113.6 compared with 112.8 in the same month of the preceding year. CPI without fuel covers all goods and services except unleaded petrol RON95, unleaded petrol RON97 and diesel.

"The average price of unleaded petrol RON95 in January 2021 decreased to RM1.87 per litre compared with RM2.08 in January 2020. In addition, the average price of unleaded petrol RON97 decreased to RM2.17 per litre compared with RM2.58 while the average price of diesel declined to RM2.04 per litre from RM2.18 in the corresponding month of the preceding year," he noted.

Core index rose 0.7% in January 2021 compared with the same month of the previous year. Among the major groups which influenced the increase were miscellaneous goods and services (1.8%); food and non-alcoholic beverages (1.2%); health (0.7%); housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels (0.5%); furnishings, household equipment and routine household maintenance (0.2%) and education (0.2%).

Core index excludes most volatile items of fresh food as well as administered prices of goods and services.

Although year-on-year (y-o-y) CPI decreased, CPI on a monthly basis increased by 1.2% compared with in December 2020. The increase was attributed by transport (3.7%); housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels (2.6%); furnishings, household equipment and routine household maintenance (0.3%) and food and non-alcoholic beverages (0.2%).

In terms of geographical terms, five states namely Terengganu (0.3%), Selangor and Wilayah Persekutuan Putrajaya (0.2%), Kelantan (0.2%), Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur (0.1%) and Pahang (0.1%) surpassed the national CPI rate of -0.2% in January 2021 compared with Jan 2020.

All states except Sabah and Wilayah Persekutuan Labuan registered an increase in the index of food and non-alcoholic beverages. The highest increase was recorded by Pahang with 2.4%. This was followed by Selangor and Wilayah Persekutuan Putrajaya (2.2%), Terengganu (2.0%), Kelantan (1.8%), Perak (1.6%) and Negeri Sembilan (1.6%).