Press release: 12.417-008/21
Vienna, 2021-01-20
– The average annual inflation rate of consumer prices (CPI 2015) amounted
to +1.4% in 2020, as Statistics Austria reports. This was a little below
the level of 2019 (+1.5%) and noticeably below 2018 (+2.0%) and 2017
(+2.1%). Prices for housing, water and energy (+2.3% compared to 2019)
were the most important price driver, followed by prices for restaurants
and hotels (+3.1%). Heavily discounted fuel prices had a strong price
dampening impact on the 2020 inflation rate, while 2019 has seen a moderate
decline in fuel prices. On the other hand, food price increases were
twice as high as in 2019.
The average annual harmonised inflation rate of consumer
prices (HICP 2015) in 2020 amounted to +1.4%, which is a little lower
than in 2019 (+1.5%).
In December 2020,
the inflation rate was 1.2% (November 2020:
1.3%). Housing, water and energy (+2.1% compared to December 2019) remained
the most important price driver. The index level of the consumer price
index 2015 (CPI 2015) was 109.4 in December 2020. Compared to the previous
month, the average price level increased by 0.6%.
The index level of the harmonised
index of consumer prices (HICP 2015)
was 109.79 in December 2020, with a harmonised inflation rate at 1.0%.
The measures to contain COVID-19 (from April) had
an impact on the calculation of the
average annual inflation rate. "Lockdown light"-measures affected
the sectors gastronomy, culture, tourism, entertainment, leisure and
sport. "Lockdown hard"-measures affected in addition most
of the other sectors and therefore the price surveys were changed from
in-store collection to other methods like internet price collection
(in particular the retail sector) and the use of scanner data (in particular
supermarkets and drugstores). Where necessary, imputation methods like
seasonal imputation, all items imputation or carry-forward were applied.
In total, this affected about 8.1% of the weight of the basket of goods
and services. For further in-depth explanation of the general principles
and applied computation methods, please refer to the methodological
information note on the compilation of the CPI in the context
of COVID-19.
For more detailed information please refer to the German
version.
© STATISTICS AUSTRIA,
Last Changed 20.01.2021