National inflation surges to 8.3% in October

• Food inflation up at 11.7%; non-food up at 5.4%
• Core inflation increased to 7.2%, from 4.8% in Sept.

Sri Lanka’s national headline inflation, as measured by the year-on-year (YoY) change in the National Consumer Price Index (NCPI), rose to 8.3 percent in October, from 6.2 percent a month ago, the Central Bank said, based on the data prices gathered by the Census and Statistics Department. 

This was driven by the monthly increases of prices of items in both food and non-food categories. 
Food inflation increased to 11.7 percent in October, from 10.0 percent in September 2021, while non-food inflation also increased to 5.4 percent in October 2021, from 3.0 percent in September 2021.

The NCPI, measured on an annual average basis, increased to 5.7 percent in October 2021, from 5.5 percent in September 2021.

The monthly change of the NCPI was recorded at 2.12 percent in October, due to the increases observed in the prices of items in both food and non-food categories, which were 0.89 percent and 1.23 percent, respectively. 

Accordingly, within the food category, the prices of milk powder and rice increased. The prices of items in the non-food category recorded increases, mainly due to the price increases observed in housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels, restaurant and hotels, miscellaneous hoods and services and health sub-categories during the month.

Further, the YoY core inflation increased to 7.2 percent in October, from 4.8 percent in September, while the annual average core inflation, which remained unchanged for six consecutive months, increased to 4.6 percent, from 4.4 percent in September 2021.