Year-on-year inflation in Zambia stood at 9.7 percent in October, down from 9.9 percent in September, according to consumer price data released by the country’s statistics agency on Thursday.
The decrease was mainly attributed to movements in prices of non-food items, the Zambia Statistics Agency said in its monthly release.
According to the release, the annual non-food inflation for October decreased to 6.5 percent from 7.2 percent the previous month due to decreases in prices of non-food items such as shoes, furniture, and motor vehicles.
On the other hand, the annual food inflation was recorded at 12.2 percent in October from 12.1 percent the previous month due to pricing movements in food items like cereals, vegetables, and dried beans.
In Zambia, the four main components of the consumer price index are: Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages (54 percent of total weight); Housing and Utilities (11 percent); Furnishings, Household Equipment and Routine Maintenance of the House (8 percent) and Clothing and Footwear (8 percent). Others include: Transport (6 percent); Miscellaneous Goods and Services (5 percent) and Education (3 percent). Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco, Recreation and Culture, Communications, Health and Restaurants and Hotels account for the remaining 5 percent of total weight
