SEOUL, April 23 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's consumer sentiment worsened in April amid the lingering Middle East tensions, central bank data showed Thursday.
The composite consumer sentiment index, which gauges the sentiment of consumers over the economic situation, declined 7.8 points from a month earlier to 99.2 in April after retreating 5.1 points in the previous month, according to the Bank of Korea.
The index fell below 100 for the first time in one year since April 2025, indicating pessimists outnumbered optimists.
Concerns deepened over inflation and economic slump due to energy supply disruptions and increasing uncertainty in domestic and global economies, driven by the Middle East conflict.
The sub-index for the current economic situation decreased 18 points to 68 in April compared to the previous month, while the index for economic outlook dropped 10 points to 79.
Inflation expectations, which measure the outlook among consumers over headline inflation for the next 12 months, gained 0.2 percentage points to 2.9 percent in April on a monthly basis.
The result was based on a survey of 2,262 households conducted from April 9 to 16. ■
