In January, the consumer prices of goods and services rose 0.1 per cent on the month and 5.2 on the year.
In December, inflation was 4.7% on the annual level. The swifter inflation in January was the result of the abolishment of the zero VAT rate and higher energy prices. Also, January's inflation was the highest since October 2008, when it was 5.9%.
Five macro-economists polled by Hina predicted that consumer prices in January would grow 5.6% on average year on year, with their forecasts ranging from 4.8 to 5.9%.
In January, the prices of goods stayed the same as the month before, while the prices of services grew 0.7%.
On the month, the biggest increase was recorded in telecommunication prices (1.8%), while on the year, the biggest increase was recorded in the prices of housing, water, energy, gas and other fuels (14.3%)