In January 2024, the CPI for goods for the month in Uzbekistan was 0.6%, the Statistics Agency of Uzbekistan said in a report.

In annual terms, this indicator was at the level of 8.5% with an average monthly increase of 0.7%.

The short-term CPI for services in January 2024 was 0.90%. By January 2022, it reached 8.9% with an average monthly increase of 0.7%.

The short-term CPI for food products in the first month of 2024 was 0.7%. For nonfood products it reached 100,4%, paid services to the population – 0.9%.

The CPI for January 2024 in annual terms for food products was fixed at 109.30%, non-food products – 7.50%, paid services – 8.90%, with an average monthly increase of respectively 0.7%, 0.6% and 0.7%.

Without taking into account changes in prices for fruits and vegetables, the short-term consolidated CPI for January 2024 amounted to 0.40%(versus 0.6% taking into account these changes). By the level of January 2023, this indicator was fixed at 8.0%.

In the structure of growth in both short-term and longterm CPI in annual terms for January 2024, the share of the impact of price changes on food products is the largest of the three main groups. The contribution of price changes for food products to the growth of the short-term consolidated CPI for January 2024 accounted for 46.9%, and in annual terms– 47.6% of the total contribution.

In January 2024, the range of the short-term CPI by section was from 100.00% (Section VIII. “Information and Communication”) to 101.5% (Section XI. “Restaurants and Hotel Services”).

The annual CPI for January 2024 by section ranged from 99.7% (Section VIII. “Information and Communication”) to 120.30% (Section XI. “Restaurants and Hotel Services”).

With the exception of sections II. "Alcoholic beverages and tobacco products", IV. “Housing services, water, electricity, gas and other fuels” and VII. “Transport”, the annual CPI for January 2024 in all sections was lower than the same indicator for 2023.

The range of fluctuations in the short-term CPI for January 2024 by groups of Section I. “Food and nonalcoholic drinks” ranged from 99.0% to 103.3%.

Short-term CPI below 100.0% for the month was recorded in the groups “Grains and cereal products” (99,80%), “Fish and other seafood” (99.0%), “Oils and fats” (99.2%).

The increase in prices for fruits and vegetables is largely due to the influence of the seasonal factor. Thus, the short-term CPI for January 2024 in the group “Fruits and nuts” was 102.40%, “Vegetables, tubers and legumes” – 103.4%.

The CPI in other groups of the section for the month was lower and did not exceed 100.3%.

The annual CPI for January 2024 by groups of section I. “Food and nonalcoholic drinks” ranged from 89.9% to 111.5%.

The CPI in annual terms for January 2024 was significantly lower than the same indicator for January 2023 in the groups “Grains and cereal products” (109.20% versus 130.50%), “Oils and fats” (89.9% versus 110.10%), “Vegetables, tubers and legumes” (94.70% versus 114.90%) and “Sugar, confectionery and desserts” (109.60% versus 123.1%).

The annual CPI for fruits and nuts in January 2024 was significantly higher than a year earlier (138.9% versus 92.3%).

In January 2024, there was a decrease in prices for such types of fruits and vegetables as cucumbers, cabbage, carrots, beets, citrus fruits, etc. At the same time, prices for fruits and vegetables such as eggplants, bell peppers, bananas, etc. increased significantly.

Eggplants, onions and bell peppers hold the lead in price reductions relative to January 2023. Garnets, on the contrary, increased in price more significantly than others compared to the January 2023 level.

The most significant contribution to the increase in short-term CPI among goods of Section I for January 2024 was made by price changes for fruits and vegetables (total +0.28 p.p.).

The restraining factor was the decline in prices for fat and oil products, fish and other seafood, as well as for grain crops and cereal products (total -0.05 p.p.). Of the goods included in Section I, changes in prices in the groups “Fruits and nuts”, “Cereals and cereal products” and “Meat products” influenced the growth of the consolidated CPI in annual terms for January 2024 more significantly than others (total contribution +3.75 p.p.). The downward effect was had by a decrease in prices in the groups “Oils and fats” and “Vegetables, tubers and legumes”, due to which the consolidated indicator by January 2023 became lower by -0.52 p.p.

In January 2024, fluctuations in the short-term CPI in Section II. “Alcoholic beverages, tobacco products” ranged from 100.30% (beer) to 100.80% (cigarettes). The value of the short-term CPI for cigarettes was higher than the average for section II, while the CPI for other sections of the section was below the indicated average value. The CPI by January 2023 for alcohol and tobacco products ranged from 108.% (beer) to 112.4% (other tobacco products).

The short-term Title III CPI value in January 2024 was lower than the corresponding figure in January 2023 for both clothing and footwear. A similar situation has developed for the long-term CPI in annual terms. Short-term CPI range in January 2024 in Section III. “Clothes and shoes” ranged from 99.7% (men’s suit) to 101.1% (handkerchiefs). The CPI by January 2023 for goods and services in section III was in the range from 102.50% (women’s sweater, jumper, pullover) to 115.1% (dry cleaning services).

Since January 2024, in some regions of the republic, fees for the removal of household waste have been increased. The increase range was from 8.2% (Bukhara region) to two times (Namangan region). Taking into account the stability of tariffs for waste removal services in other regions, the CPI for the Republic of Uzbekistan for the month reached 118.0%. From the beginning of 2024, the collection of additional fees previously established by local authorities when paying for cold water supply and sewerage services has been cancelled. This was manifested in a decrease in the short-term CPI for this service in all regions, with the exception of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, where, along with this cancellation, the tariff itself was increased.

The short-term CPI in January 2024 in Section V. “Household Items, Appliances and Routine Home Maintenance” ranged from 99.7% (frying pan) to 101.1% (shovels, ketmen, forks and rakes). The limits of CPI fluctuation by January 2023 were 104.10% (set of bedroom furniture) – 115.60% (laundry and cleaning services for carpets and rugs).

Range of fluctuations in the short-term CPI for goods included in section VI. “Healthcare” in January 2024 ranged from 99.3% (medical laboratory services) to 101.3% (antibiotics). The CPI by January 2023 was in the range from 97.20% (masks, medical gloves) to 111.7% (antibiotics). The annualized CPI for January 2024 was lower than in January 2023 in three of the section’s four main groups. In the “Inpatient treatment services” group, the value of this indicator was 2.3 points higher than in January 2023.

Gasoline became more expensive in all regions in January 2024. The range of short-term CPI for it was 101.2-106.4%. Propane has also risen in price in all regions. The CPI range for the month was from 100.7% to 111.9%. Fixing the upper price limit for methane ensured the stability of the price level for this type of fuel in January 2024.

The implementation of various promotions in order to stimulate demand affected the value of the short-term CPI for such types of goods as mobile phones (CPI 99.9%) and televisions (99.8%). Comprehensive telecommunications services have increased in price more significantly than others in Section VIII since the beginning of 2024 (100.8%).

From January 2024, ticket prices for attractions in parks in the capital and Fergana region have been increased. Visiting museums has become more expensive in the Samarkand region. Services provided by theaters and concert halls have become more expensive in the Republic of Karakalpakstan. Since the beginning of 2024, prices for newspapers and periodicals have increased in all regions (the average CPI for the republic for the month was 125.7%.) The CPI range for January 2023 in Section IX was 94.5% (А4 paper) – 152.40% (services provided by zoos).

Since January 2024, in some regions of the republic, fees for children attending private preschools have increased. The largest increase was in the Tashkent region (9.10%), the smallest in the Samarkand region (1.6%). The short-term CPI for the first month of 2023 for tutoring services on average in the republic was 100.9%.

The short-term food service CPI in January 2024 ranged from 100.1% (other cafeterias, cafeterias and snack bars) to 100.90% (prepared food in cafeterias). The cost of staying in hotels since the beginning of 2024 has increased in all regions within the range of 1.2-27.60%. Services of sanatoriums and holiday homes have become more expensive since January 2024, ranging from 2.20% (Andijan region) to 22.70% (Bukhara region).

Among financial services, price increases in January 2024 were noted for the services of banking institutions, as well as for transferring funds through banks. The short-term CPI for these services was 101.40% and 100.40% respectively. The fee for transferring money through electronic payment systems, on the contrary, decreased by an average of 0.9%, which is due to a change in the amount of interest charged for money transfers through the Click mobile banking system.

In January 2024, the short-term CPI for Title XIII goods and services ranged from 99.80% (hair dye) to 101.5% (bath and shower services). The long-term CPI by January 2023 in this section ranged from 105.6% (woman’s handbag) to 120.6% (bath and shower services).

A significant contribution to the increase in the short-term composite indicator in January 2024 was made by price changes for food and non-alcoholic drinks, which accounted for over 45% of the total impact. Due to changes in prices in the sections “Transport” and “Housing services, water, electricity, gas and other types of fuel”, the summary indicator for the month became higher by another 0.21 p.p. (32.8% of total influence). The overall increase in the consolidated CPI for January 2024 in annual terms amounted to 8.58 p.p. Rising prices for food and non-alcoholic drinks accounted for 42.9% of this increase.