Doha, September 29 (QNA) - Qatar's Consumer Price Index (CPI) reached 102.78 points in July 2026, based on the updated 2024 base year (2024=100), up 0.71 percent month-on-month compared with June 2026.

The National Planning Council said in a statement on Tuesday that this release incorporates an enhanced CPI methodology as part of the Council's ongoing efforts to improve the quality and reliability of price statistics in line with international best practices.

The CPI is now compiled and published using 2024 as the base year (2024=100), replacing the previous base year of 2018 (2018=100). The updated methodology also adopts the 2018 Classification of Individual Consumption According to Purpose (COICOP 2018) and introduces a revised basket of goods and services and updated expenditure weights based on the findings of the 2023/2024 Household Income and Expenditure Survey, the statement noted, adding that these enhancements allow the index to better capture current household spending patterns and provide a more accurate measure of price movements.

The statement affirmed that the State of Qatar continues to demonstrate economic resilience through ongoing efforts to address evolving regional conditions and developments, which have disrupted global supply chains and trade routes and driven higher transportation and insurance costs.

The statement indicated that the CPI July 2026 reflects relative stability in the overall price level despite prevailing regional conditions and their impact on transportation, insurance and logistics costs across global markets.

On a monthly basis, the CPI recorded declines in three groups: Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas and Other Fuels by 0.64 percent, Clothing and Footwear by 0.39 percent, and Information and Communication by 0.19 percent. Meanwhile, prices in the Tobacco and Beverages group and the Insurance and Financial Services group remained unchanged compared with the previous month, the statement added.

Eight CPI groups recorded month-on-month increases, with the Recreation, Sport and Culture group recording the highest increase at 9.15 percent, followed by Restaurants and Accommodation Services (1.35 percent) and Health (1.23 percent).

Excluding the Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas and Other Fuels group, the CPI stood at 104.66 points in July 2026, recording an increase of 1.22 percent compared with June 2026. (QNA)