KUALA LUMPUR, May 22 — Malaysia’s headline inflation increased to 1.4 per cent in April with the consumer price index at 134.3 versus 132.4 the same month a year ago, said the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM).
The rise was driven by a 4.1 per cent increase against a 3.6 per cent increase in March in the personal care, social protection, and miscellaneous goods and services group, one out of 13 groups of goods and services.
“Education rose 2.3 per cent (March 2025: 2.2 per cent) and housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels, 2.0 per cent (March 2025: 1.9 per cent),” it said in a statement today.
The groupings which recorded a slower increase versus March are as follows: Food and beverages (F&B) fell to 2.3 per cent (2.5 per cent); recreation, sport, and culture to 1.3 per cent (1.7 per cent), health to 0.9 per cent (1.0 per cent); and furnishings, household equipment, and routine household maintenance to 0.1 per cent (0.2 per cent).
DOSM said the groups which saw a similar rate as the prior month are restaurant and accommodation services (2.9 per cent), insurance and financial services (1.5 per cent), alcoholic beverages and tobacco (0.8 per cent), and transport (0.7 per cent).
“Additionally, information and communication and clothing and footwear, remained in negative territory registering -4.5 per cent and -0.1 per cent, respectively,” Chief Statistician Datuk Sri Mohd Uzir Mahidin said.
He said the F&B group contributes 29.8 per cent of the total CPI weight. The fall in the price of vegetables; milk, other dairy products and eggs; fruits and nuts; cereals and cereal products,, and meat contributed to a slower increase of the F&B group.
The subgroup of food at home rose 0.5 per cent versus 0.6 per cent in the month prior.
The average price for diesel in Peninsular Malaysia was RM2.95 per litre against RM2.15 in April (March 2025: RM3.08).
“However, the average price of diesel in Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan remained at RM2.15 per litre," he said.
Kelantan and Putrajaya had the lowest increase at 0.5 per cent, and four states saw increases above the national inflation level: Johor (2.2 per cent), Negeri Sembilan (1.7 per cent), Selangor (1.7 per cent), and Melaka (1.6 per cent).
Vietnam’s inflation is 3.1 per cent, Indonesia is 2.0 per cent, Thailand is -0.2 per cent, and China -0.1 per cent.
— Bernama
