In April, headline inflation, as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), fell again, to 7.5 percent from 8.0 percent in March. Inflation has now fallen for four successive months since peaking at 9.2 percent in December 2011. The fall in April was led by a sharp decline in food price inflation (which makes up 21.8 percent of the CPI basket) from 8.8 percent to 7.6 percent. Inflation also fell across a broad range of commodity groups including: clothing and footwear (from 9.5 percent to 7.6 percent); housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels (from 8.8 percent to 8.6 percent); health (from 6.2 percent to 6.0 percent); transport (from 11.5 percent to 10.6 percent); recreation and culture (from 6.2 percent to 5.4 percent); and miscellaneous goods and services (from 4.0 percent to 2.0 percent). However, inflation increased for alcohol and tobacco (from 5.4 percent to 6.7 percent); furnishing, household equipment and routine maintenance (from 8.3 percent to 8.4 percent); communication (from -5.5 percent to -4.9 percent); and restaurants and hotels (from 9.1 percent to 9.8 percent). Inflation for education was unchanged at 6.4 percent.

The trimmed mean measure of core inflation declined from 7.6 percent in March to 7.3 percent, while inflation excluding administered prices also fell, from 7.0 percent to 6.6 percent.