Consumer price growth in Ukraine in May 2023 accelerated to 0.5% from 0.2% in April after slowing down from 1.5% in March, 0.7% in February and 0.8% in January, the State Statistics Service reported on Friday.
At the same time, inflation of 2.7% was recorded in May 2022, therefore, year-over-year in May 2023, it decreased to 15.3% from 17.9% in April, 21.3% in March, 24.9% in February and 26.6% in December.
Underlying inflation fell to 0.3% last month from 0.5% in April and 1.3% in March, the State Statistics Service said. Taking into account the fact that in May last year, underlying inflation was 1.4%, year-over-year it also fell to 15.9% in May from 17.2% in April, 20.1% in March and 22 .7% in February.
Since the beginning of the year, inflation in the country reached 3.8%, and underlying inflation was 3.3%, the State Statistics Service said.
In the consumer market in May, prices for food and non-alcoholic beverages rose by 0.9%. Most of all (by 8.7% and 5.6%) the prices of fruits and vegetables rose. Prices for meat and meat products, non-alcoholic drinks, fish and fish products, cheeses, butter grew by 1.7-0.2%. At the same time, prices for eggs fell by 22.7%, prices for processed grain products, lard, rice, sunflower oil, sugar, pasta, and milk dropped by 3.2–0.2%.
Prices for alcoholic beverages and tobacco products rose by 1.2%, including for tobacco products by 1.3%, and alcoholic beverages by 1.2%.
Clothing and footwear fell in price by 1.6%, in particular footwear by 1.9%, and clothing by 1.4%.
The 0.8% increase in prices in the healthcare sector was primarily due to a 1.0% increase in the cost of pharmaceutical products.
Transportation prices fell by 1.1% mainly due to a 2.5% reduction in the cost of fuel and lubricants.
As reported, in April, the National Bank of Ukraine improved its inflation forecast for this year from 18.7% to 14.8%, including in the second quarter, the NBU expected it to decline to 14.5%.
