The headline inflation in December measured by the Colombo Consumer Price Index (CCPI) decelerated to 2.8 percent on a year-on –year basis, from 3.3 percent recorded for November.

During December, the CCPI rose only 0.1 percent to 126.3 points.

The contribution to inflation by food commodities for the month of December was -0.48. The contribution of non-food items was 3.24 percent.

The moving average inflation rate for the month of December 2018 was 4.3 percent. The corresponding rate for the month of November was 4.6 percent.

Core inflation rose 3.1 percent during 2018, which is broadly in line with the headline number.