Abu Dhabi consumer prices down 2.1% in February: SCAD

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) in the emirate of Abu Dhabi has declined by 2.1% from 111.6 points in February 2019 to 109.3 points in February 2020, according to Statistics Centre – Abu Dhabi (SCAD), recent report.  The index also nudged down 0.4% month-over-month to 109.3 points in February 2020, down from 109.7 points in January 2020.

A breakdown of the report data by household welfare level indicates a 2.1 per cent decline in consumer prices for households at the bottom-welfare level, 2.3 per cent for the middle welfare level and 1.6 per cent for the top-welfare level over the first two months of 2020, compared with the same period in 2019. Analysed by household type, the 1.9 per cent decline in consumer prices during first two months of 2020 compared with the same period in 2019 implied a decrease of 1.9 per cent for citizen households, 2.0 per cent for non-citizen households and 2.3 per cent for shared households.

SCAD’s CPI report also presents the contribution of each of the main 12 expenditure groups to the overall change in consumer prices. The groups are categorized according to the International Classification of Individual Consumption According to Purpose (COICOP). The ‘Housing, water, electricity, gas and fuel’ group contributed 77.1 per cent to the overall decrease in CPI in February 2020, compared with February 2019. The Prices of this group dropped by 5.1 per cent.

 The ‘Miscellaneous goods and services’ group accounted for 31.9 per cent of the decrease recorded in February 2020 compared with February 2019 as the group’s prices fell by 8.5 per cent. In addition, the ‘Furnishings, household equipment and routine household maintenance’ group contributed 20.2 per cent to y-o-y fall in February 2020, reflecting a 5.6 per cent decrease in the prices of this group.

The prices of ‘Recreation and culture’ group increased by 15.6 per cent in February 2020 compared to the same period last year, contributing a 36.8 per cent reduction to the overall y-o-y decrease in the CPI observed in February 2020.

The report indicated a decrease of 1.9 per cent in CPI to 109.5 points during January-February 2020, down from 111.7 points for the same period in 2019.

SCAD’s CPI report presents comparisons of monthly price data, along with analyses by household welfare, household type and geographical region. It also provides the percentage of contribution of major expenditure groups to annual price changes.

The CPI also decreased by 1.8 per cent in January 2020, compared with the same month in 2019. According to January report the CPI reached 109.7 per cent in January 2020, while it was 111.8 per cent in January 2019.

The SCAD report noted a 0.1 per cent growth in CPI figures in January 2020, compared to December 2019.

The statistics centre noted that the decline in consumer prices in January 2020, compared to the same month in the previous year, contributed to a decrease of 2.2 per cent in consumer prices for low-income households, and 2.3 and 1.3 per cent for middle-income and high-income households, respectively.

In January 2020, SCAD reported, the decline in consumer prices was also 1.9 per cent for Emirati households, 1.8 per cent for expat households, and 2.4 per cent for joint households.

SCAD’s CPI report presents the contribution of the main 12 expenditure groups to the overall change in consumer prices in 2019, categorised according to the International Classification of Individual Consumption According to Purpose.

Abu Dhabi (SCAD) was established in 2008 in accordance with Law No. (7), to develop and organise statistical work in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi in particular and the United Arab Emirates in general. SCAD’s purpose is to produce statistical information that is consistent with the Emirate’s orientation towards sustainable development and strategic plans under the supervision and with full support of the Executive Council of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

Being the of the official statistical data collection agency in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, the centre assumes the functions of preparing the statistical plans and programs that serve the emirate’s wider development programs, conducting statistical surveys across the emirate. SCAD is also responsible for the collection, classification, storage, analysis and dissemination of official statistics and the release of the results of social, demographic, economic, environmental and cultural surveys.

The activities of the centre encompass all areas relating to social conditions in accordance with relevant international standards and ethics, such as independence, professionalism, impartiality, objectivity, confidentiality, cost effectiveness and quality of statistics.

Agencies