The Consumer Price Index (CPI) of Bolivia, the main indicator for measuring inflation in the country, experienced a sharp increase in May, reaching a concerning 3.65%, and accumulating 9.81% so far this year, according to Humberto Arandia, director of the National Institute of Statistics (INE), on Friday.
This rate represents the highest level of inflation recorded in a month of May in the last 40 years, a figure that reflects a significant impact on the economy and on the purchasing power of Bolivian citizens.
Luis Fernando Romero, president of the College of Economists of Tarija, highlighted the seriousness of the increase: "The 3.65% inflation is the highest in the last 40 years, comparing the months of May during this period. It is even higher than the annual inflations from 2009 to 2023."
The detailed report from INE indicated that the products that most influenced this increase were mainly food items, such as boneless beef, chicken meat, and onions. In addition, the report also highlighted the rise in prices of soft drinks, lunches, and beef with bone, products that are an essential part of the basic consumer basket.
