KUCHING: Sarawak has been experiencing a rise in inflation, with an increase of 4.3 per cent in January 2023.
According to the Department of Statistics Malaysia, this figure is higher than the national average of 3.7 per cent and is part of a trend that has been seen in the state in recent months.
The increase was driven by the rise in prices of several goods and services, particularly in the restaurants & hotels and food & non-alcoholic beverages subgroups.
The subgroup of meat recorded the highest increase at 8.3 per cent, followed by milk, cheese & eggs and rice, bread & other cereals.
The oils & fats subgroup moderated to 0.7 per cent.
On a national level, Malaysia’s inflation rate in January 2023 eased slightly to 3.7 per cent compared to 3.8 per cent in December 2022.
However, despite the slight increase in inflation, Sarawak’s rate remained lower than that of other states like Wilayah Persekutuan Putrajaya, Selangor, Johor and Pahang.
Five states recorded increases above the national inflation level of 3.7 per cent in January 2023, including Sarawak, Wilayah Persekutuan Putrajaya, Selangor, Johor, and Pahang.
Meanwhile, Kedah and Wilayah Persekutuan Labuan recorded the lowest increase of 2.2 per cent.
In terms of core inflation, which measures changes in the prices of all goods and services, excluding volatile prices of fresh food and administered prices of goods by the government, Malaysia recorded a slower increase of 3.9 per cent in January 2023 compared to 4.1 per cent in December 2022.
It is worth noting that Malaysia’s inflation rate remains lower than that of some other countries in the region, such as the Philippines, Euro Zone, United States of America, Indonesia, Republic of Korea, and Thailand.
The full publication of the report can be downloaded through the DoSM portal.
