Consumer prices in Belarus increased by 21.8 percent in 2012.
According to Belstat, consumer prices rose by 1.9 percent in January, 1.5 percent in February, 1.5 percent in March, 1.7 percent in April, 1.6 percent in May, 1.8 percent in June, 1.3 percent in July, 2.3 percent in August, 1.3 percent in September, 1.8 percent in October, 1.7 percent in November and 1.4 percent in December.
The highest increases occurred last year in the prices of health resort treatment services (89.6 percent), concert and theater tickets (72.1 percent), alcoholic drinks (62.3 percent), higher education (69 percent), movie tickets (54.6 percent), wheat flour (43.4 percent), bread and bakery products (42.2 percent), butter (31.1 percent), medicines (27.8 percent), potatoes (25.6 percent), stationery (25.1 percent), and gasoline (23.3 percent).
The Belarusian government initially projected inflation to slow to 19 to 22 percent in 2012, but Alyaksandr Lukashenka suggested in February that the government should revise its inflation projection for the year downward to 13 to 15 percent.
Deputy Economy Minister Alyaksandr Yarashenka told reporters in November that the government considered it realistic for this year’s inflation to be below 22 percent.
