China's Consumer Price Index up 0.2 pct in 2024

China's consumer price index (CPI), a main gauge of inflation, rose 0.2 percent year on year in 2024, said a Chinese official in Beijing on Friday.

Kang Yi, head of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), released the data at a press conference on the performance of the country's economy in 2024, held by the State Council Information Office.

"In 2024, the CPI rose by 0.2 percent over the previous year. Grouped by commodity categories, prices for food, tobacco and alcohol dipped by 0.1 percent; clothing were up by 1.4 percent; housing up by 0.1 percent; articles and services for daily use up by 0.5 percent; transportation and communication down by 1.9 percent; education, culture and recreation up by 1.5 percent; medical services and health care up by 1.3 percent; and other articles and services up by 3.8 percent," said Kang.

In further breakdown, prices for fresh fruits and grain went down by 3.5 percent and 0.1 percent, while prices of fresh vegetables and pork rose 5 percent and 7.7 percent, respectively.

Core CPI excluding the prices of food and energy edged up by 0.5 percent. In December, the CPI went up by 0.1 percent year on year, on par with last month.

In contrast, prices for industrial products saw a moderate decline.

"In 2024, the producer prices and purchasing prices for industrial products both edged down by 2.2 percent year on year. In December, the producer prices and purchasing prices for industrial products both declined by 2.3 percent year on year, or down by 0.1 percent month on month," said the official.