Abu Dhabi – Mubasher: Inflation in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) increased 1.8% in March, the GCC-Stat said in a report on Sunday.
The tobacco segment recorded the highest rise of 13.9%, while transport added 2.4% and the food and beverages segment grew 1.3%. On the other hand, the restaurants and hotels segment fell 0.6% in March.
Saudi Arabia saw the highest inflation increase by 4.3% compared to its GCC counterparts, followed by Bahrain and Qatar, which added 3.3% each. March inflation in Kuwait and the UAE stood at 3.1% and 1.4%, respectively, while Oman added 0.1%, according to the report.
The GCC inflation index excludes the segments of housing, water and electricity, gas and other fuels, from the countries' national indices.
