KUALA LUMPUR (April 23): Malaysia’s inflation, as measured by the consumer price index (CPI), rose 1.7% year-on-year in March 2021, led by a 9.8% increase in the CPI’s transport segment as fuel prices rose, according to the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) today.

In a statement today, DOSM chief statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin said the 1.7% increase in the CPI was also driven by the rise in CPI segments including the food and non-alcoholic beverages portion and health gauge, which climbed 1.5% and 0.5% respectively.

The country’s March 2021 CPI had risen year-on-year for the second consecutive month since February 2021 when the CPI rose 0.1%, according to Mohd Uzir.

Meanwhile, the CPI in the first quarter of 2021 (1Q21) grew 0.5% from a year earlier, according to him.

"On [a] quarterly basis, the [1Q21] CPI increased 1.8% as compared to the fourth quarter of 2020. 

"Meanwhile, on a monthly basis, [March 2021] CPI increased by 0.3% as compared to February 2021,” he said.

For March 2021, Mohd Uzir said the CPI without fuel increased 0.5% from a year earlier.

CPI without fuel covers all goods and services except unleaded petrol RON95, unleaded petrol RON97 and diesel, he said.

"The average price of unleaded petrol RON95 in March 2021 increased to RM2.05 per litre as compared to RM1.74 in March 2020. Similarly, the average price of unleaded petrol RON97 increased to RM2.42 per litre as compared to RM2.04, while the average price of diesel increased to RM2.15 per litre from RM1.89 as compared the corresponding month of the preceding year,” he said.

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