Lebanon's consumer price inflation slowed to six-month low of 6.27 percent year-on-year in October of 2018 from 6.53 percent in the previous month. Inflation eased for: housing & utilities (7.87 pct vs 8.16 pct in September); clothing & footwear (16.55 pct vs 21.44 pct); health (2.54 pct vs 2.59 pct), and alcoholic beverages and tobacco (1.83 pct vs 1.98 pct). Meanwhile, prices increased at faster pace for: food & non-alcoholic beverages (5.33 pct vs 5.30 pct); transport (9.19 pct vs 8.81 pct); household goods & furnishings (2.62 pct vs 2.10 pct); recreation & culture (6.16 pct vs 5.94 pct); miscellaneous goods & services (2.26 pct vs 2.19 pct), and education (5.40 pct vs 4.13 pct). On the other hand, inflation was steady for communication (at 0.89 pct). On a monthly basis, consumer prices rose 1.13 percent, accelerating from a 0.44 percent gain in September. Inflation Rate in Lebanon averaged 2.62 percent from 2008 until 2018, reaching an all time high of 11.10 percent in October of 2012 and a record low of -4.67 percent in September of 2015.
Inflation Rate in Lebanon is expected to be 5.40 percent by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. Looking forward, we estimate Inflation Rate in Lebanon to stand at 3.20 in 12 months time. In the long-term, the Lebanon Inflation Rate is projected to trend around 2.40 percent in 2020, according to our econometric models.