Headline inflation remained at 4.1 percent in December 2013, unchanged from November. Inflation fell further across several commodity groups, including:food and non-alcoholic beverages (from 4.2 to 3.9 percent); clothing and footwear (from 5.8 to 5.7 percent); health (from 5.4 to 5.3 percent); transport (from 2.3 to 1.8 percent, as the impact of the increase in public transport fares in December 2012 fell away); and miscellaneous goods and services (2.0 to 1.9 percent). However, this was offset by increaseselsewhere: alcoholic beverages and tobacco (from 6.3 to 6.8 percent, as the impact of additional duties on both alcohol and tobacco fed through into prices); housing water, electricity, gas and other fuels (4.2 to 4.4 percent); furnishing, household equipment and routine maintenance (from 4.8 to 4.9 percent); and restaurants and hotels (from 5.9 to 7.0 percent).  Inflation was unchanged for: communication (0.4 percent); recreation and culture (4.5 percent); and education (4.7 percent).

The trimmed mean measure of core inflation and inflation excluding administered prices also remained unchanged, at 4.0 percent and 4.7 percent, respectively.