Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- In December 2023, the consolidated CPI for the month was 1,2%. In annual terms (by December 2022), the consolidated CPI was fixed at 8.8%, the Statistics Agency said.

The average monthly increase in the CPI for January-December 2023 reached 0,7%. This is 0.2 points less than a year earlier and 0.1 points lower than in 2021.

In December 2023, the CPI for goods for the month was 101,2%. In annual terms, the CPI for goods was at the level of 108,8% with an average monthly increase of 0,7%.

The short-term CPI for services in December 2023 was 101,5%. By December 2022, it reached 108,7% with an average monthly increase of 0,7%.

The short-term CPI for food products in the last month of 2023 was 101.3%. For non-food products it reached 101.0%, paid services to the population – 101.5%.

The CPI for 2023 for food products is fixed at 109.7%, nonfood products - 107.7%, paid services - 108.7%, with an average monthly increase respectively of 0.8%, 0.6% and 0.7%.

Without taking into account changes in prices for fruits and vegetables, the short-term consolidated CPI for December 2023 amounted to 100,8% (versus 101,2% taking these changes into account). By the level of December 2022, this indicator was fixed at 108,1%.

The contribution of price changes for food products to the growth of the short-term consolidated CPI for December 2023 accounted for 45,2%, non-food goods and services – by 27,4% each of the total contribution of observed goods and services.

According to calculations, food products accounted for about 46,8% of the total contribution of the three main groups to the growth of the consolidated CPI by December 2022 (versus 53,9% a year earlier). The contribution of price changes for services is still estimated to be the smallest among the three main groups - its share was 22,9% (15,7% a year earlier).

Thus, due to changes in prices for food products, the consolidated CPI for 2023 increased by 4,10 p.p., nonfood products and paid services to the population - by a total of 4,67 p.p.

In December 2023, the range of the short-term CPI by section was from 100,0% (Section XI. Restaurants and Hotel Services) to 101,6% (Section VII. Transportation).

The CPI for January-December 2023 by section ranged from 99,8% (Section VIII. “Information and Communication”) to 119,6% (Section XI. “Restaurants and Hotel Services”).

With the exception of sections IV. “Housing services, water, electricity, gas and other fuels” and VII “Transport”, the CPI in all sections for 2023 was lower than the same indicator for 2022.

The range of fluctuations in the short-term CPI for December 2023 by groups of Section I. “Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages” ranged from 99,3% to 107,3%.

A short-term CPI below 100.0% for the month was recorded in the “Oils and fats” group (99,3%).

In December 2023, a traditional winter increase in prices for fruits and vegetables was observed. Thus, the short-term CPI for December 2023 in the “Fruits and Nuts” group reached 105,2%, which is slightly lower than in the “Vegetables, tubers and legumes” group, where it amounted to 107,3%.

The CPI in other groups of the section for the month was lower and did not exceed 101,0%.

The CPI in annual terms for December 2023 was significantly lower than the same indicator for December 2022 in the groups “Cereals and cereal products” (109,7% versus 131,3%), “Oils and fats” (90,3% versus 110,9%), “Vegetables, tubers and pulses” (98,6% versus 112,9%) and “Sugar, confectionery and desserts” (109,0% versus 124,6%). Fruits and nuts, on the contrary, have risen in price more significantly in 2023 than a year earlier.

During 2023, the nature of the dynamics of prices for Section I goods was determined both by external factors (“imported inflation”) and internal ones (seasonality, market conditions, price changes by domestic producers, etc.).

In December 2023, there was a decrease in prices for such types of fruits and vegetables as citrus fruits, onions, carrots and others. Along with this, prices for fruits and vegetables such as eggplants, tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, pomegranates and others have risen significantly.

Eggplants, bell peppers and onions hold the lead in price declines relative to the end of 2022. Garnets, on the contrary, increased in price more significantly than others compared to the level of December 2022.

In December of this year, fluctuations in the short-term CPI in section II. “Alcoholic beverages, tobacco products” ranged from 100,4% (beer) to 102,1% (other tobacco products).

The CPI by December 2022 for alcohol and tobacco products ranged from 108,4% (beer) to 112,5% (cigarettes). During 2023, fluctuations in the short-term CPI for alcoholic beverages ranged from 100,1% to 102,2%. For tobacco products these limits were 100,4%- 102,3%. The average monthly increase in the CPI for 2023 for alcoholic beverages reached 0,8%, tobacco products – 1,0%.

The range of short-term CPI in December of the current year in section III. “Clothing and footwear” ranged from 98,8% (women's T-shirts) to 103,1% (men's leather jacket). The CPI by December 2022 for goods and services in section III was in the range from 104,2% (demi-season jacket for girls) to 115,0% (dry cleaning). Price fluctuations are caused by a number of factors, including changes in seasonal demand for certain types of clothing and footwear, as well as an increase in the consumption of certain types of services (for example, dry cleaning services, etc.).

In December 2023, a decision of local authorities approved an increase in tariffs for cold water supply and sewerage services in the capital, as well as in the Kashkadarya and Syrdarya regions. Taking into account the share of these regions in the structure of total consumer expenditures of the population, the average monthly CPI for cold water supply and sewerage in the republic was 118,1%. In general, for 2023, the CPI for cold water supply and sewerage services reached 165,0%, which resulted in an increase in the consolidated CPI for the year by 0,23 p.p. At the same time, in five regions of the republic (Bukhara, Jizzakh, Navoi, Namangan regions, as well as in the Republic of Karakalpakstan), tariffs for this type of service remained at the level of the end of 2022. Home rents in 2023, after a significant increase in 2022, increased by only 7,4%.

The short-term CPI in December of this year in section V. “Household items, household appliances and routine housing maintenance” ranged from 97,7% (shovels, ketmens, pitchforks, rakes) to 103,6% (nails, screws, bolts , clamps and similar hardware). The limits of CPI fluctuation by December 2022 amounted to 104,4% (walls, sideboards, slides) - 115,7% (laundry and cleaning services for carpets and rugs).

Range of fluctuations in the short-term CPI for goods included in section VI. “Healthcare”, in December 2023 ranged from 94,7% (masks, medical gloves) to 103,4% (dental services). The CPI by December 2022 was in the range from 97,1% (masks, medical gloves) to 113,5% (dental services). During 2023, the short-term Title VI CPI ranged from 100,3% (August) to 101,3% and the average monthly increase for the year was 0,8%.

Gasoline became more expensive in December 2023 in all regions. The range of short-term CPI for it was 101,3-107,1%. Propane has risen in price more significantly than gasoline both in December 2023 and for the year as a whole. During 2023, the short-term Title VII CPI ranged from 99,6% (April) to 103,5% (October), driven in part by fluctuations in fuel and lubricant prices.

From December 2023, the subscription fee for using landline telephone communications was increased by 15,0% Price reductions during December 2023 were recorded for mobile telephone equipment. The CPI by December 2022 for Title VIII goods and services ranged from 96,1% (mobile telephony services) to 115,0% (fixed telephony services).

In December 2023, the range of fluctuations in the short-term CPI for goods and services included in Title IX was 98,2% (marker set) – 104,1% (tourist trip). The CPI range by December 2022 was 95,6% (A4 paper) – 152,4% (services provided by zoos). During 2023, the short-term Title IX CPI ranged from 100,3% (July) to 101,1% (January, April, November).

In December 2023, price changes in section X were recorded only for tutoring services and training in language and similar educational courses. In general, in 2023, prices for education services not divided by level grew faster than in other areas of education. At the same time, fees for children attending public preschools in 2023 became lower in ten regions, which allowed the annual CPI for this type of service to drop below 100%.

The price situation in Section XI in the last month of 2023 was stable. In 2023, the increase in prices for services included in this section ranged from 10,3% (hotel services) to 26,3% (recreation center services). The trend in the short-term Title XI CPI has been uneven. The highest short-term CPI for the section was recorded in June (103,2%), the minimum was in December (100,0%). The average monthly increase in the CPI for 2023 reached 1,5%.

Among financial services, price changes in December 2023 were noted for the services of banking institutions, as well as for the transfer of funds through banks. In general, for 2023, the increase in prices for observed services in section XII ranged from 100,5% (services of microfinance organizations and pawnshops) to 109,8% (fees for money transfers). The nature of price changes in this section in 2023 was due to both a direct increase in the cost of services in national currency in individual banks, and the impact of changes in the US dollar exchange rate on the amount of fees for those services that are set in foreign currency.

In December 2023, the value of short-term CPI for goods and services included in section XIII ranged from 99,7% (toothbrushes) to 105,0% (bath and shower services). The long-term CPI by December 2022 in this section ranged from 105,6% (prams) to 119,6% (bathhouse and shower services).

The most significant contribution to the increase in the short-term composite indicator in December 2023 was made by price changes for food and non-alcoholic drinks, which accounted for over 44% of the total impact. A significant contribution to the growth of the short-term consolidated CPI for December 2023 was also made by changes in prices in the sections “Clothing and footwear”, “Transport” and “Housing services, water, electricity, gas and other fuels” (total + 0,42 p.p., or 33,9% of total influence)

About 42,2% of the total increase in the consolidated CPI for 2023 is due to price changes for food and non-alcoholic drinks. Their contribution amounted to 3,70 p.p. The share of price increases in the transport sector was 14,3%, clothing and footwear – 8,2%, housing services, water, electricity, gas and other fuels – 7,5%, healthcare – 7,3% of the total impact. A downward factor for the annual CPI was the decrease in prices for communication services, which resulted in a decrease in this indicator by 0,01 p.p.