Sri Lanka’s national consumer price index soars 70.2% year on year in Aug

SRI Lanka’s National Consumer Price Index (NCPI) surged 70.2 per cent year on year in August after a 66.7 per cent rise in July, the statistics department said on Wednesday (Sep 21).

Food inflation climbed 84.6 per cent in August, while non-food inflation was up 57.1 per cent, the Department of Census and Statistics said in a statement.

The NCPI captures broader retail price inflation across the island nation and is released with a lag of 21 days every month.

The Colombo Consumer Price Index (CCPI), released at the end of each month, is more closely monitored. It acts as a lead indicator for broader national prices and shows how inflation is evolving in Colombo, Sri Lanka’s biggest city. REUTERS