Inflation up on Bonaire, unchanged on St Eustatius and down on Saba

Inflation on Bonaire rose to 2.7 percent in the fourth quarter of 2012. In the third quarter consumer prices were 2.3 percent higher than in the third quarter of 2011. On St Eustatius inflation remained unchanged at 4.6 percent. On Saba it fell from 3.0 to 2.4 percent.

Electricity and water prices push inflation up on Bonaire

The rate of inflation on Bonaire was 2.7 percent in the fourth quarter of 2012. This is 0.4 of a percent point higher than in the third quarter. Inflation rose as a result of substantial price rises for electricity and water. Food prices had a downward effect on inflation.

Inflation on Bonaire

Inflation unchanged on St Eustatius

On St Eustatius inflation remained unchanged in the fourth quarter, at 4.6 percent. The price of housing had an upward effect on inflation. This was offset by downward pressure that came from clothes, bars, restaurants and food.

Inflation on St Eustatius

Sharp drop in inflation on Saba

On Saba, fourth quarter inflation fell to 2.4 percent. This is 0.6 of a percent point lower than in the third quarter. This does not mean that life has become cheaper on Saba, but that the year-on-year price change was smaller in the fourth quarter than in the third quarter. This was the case for a number of products: food and clothes prices in particular curbed inflation. Foodstuffs cost 1.3 percent more than in the same period in 2011, while in the third quarter the increase was 5.6 percent. Electricity had an upward effect on inflation.

Inflation on Saba

Inflation 2012 lower than 2011

Average inflation on the three islands for the whole year was much lower in 2012 than in 2011. The average rate of inflation on Bonaire in 2012 was 2.9 percent. This is lower than the average 5.3 percent in 2011. The main reason for the decrease was smaller increases in the price of clothes, food and transport in 2012.

On St Eustatius inflation was 5.2 percent on average in 2012. This is considerably lower than the 9.9 percent in 2011. Here the decrease was mainly caused by the much larger increase in transport prices in 2011 than in 2012.

Saba inflation averaged 3.7 percent in 2012. This, too, is much lower than the 2011 average of 6.4 percent. As on St Eustatius, the main reason for the decrease was that prices for transport rose by much more in 2011 than in 2012.

Average inflation

Leo Peeters

Source:
StatLine, Dutch Caribbean
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