CAIRO, July 9 (Xinhua) -- Egypt's annual inflation rate eased to 12.2 percent in June from 13 percent the previous month, though consumer prices remained higher than a year earlier, the country's Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) said on Thursday.
The nationwide consumer price index reached 289.5 points in June, marking a 0.9-percent monthly decline, driven largely by lower food prices, CAPMAS said in a statement.
Meat and poultry fell by 6.4 percent, dairy, cheese and eggs dropped 2.4 percent, and vegetables down 12.1 percent, according to the statement.
The food and beverages section as a whole fell by 3.7 percent month on month, while housing, water, electricity, gas and fuel rose 1.5 percent, healthcare by 0.6 percent, restaurants and hotels by 0.8 percent, and culture and entertainment by 7.2 percent.
On an annual basis, food and beverage prices increased 4.7 percent in June, with vegetables surging 29.9 percent, cereals and bread up 3 percent, and meat and poultry up 1 percent.
Other notable annual increases included housing, water, electricity, gas and fuel, which rose by 31.2 percent, transportation and communications by 21.1 percent, education by 20 percent, and restaurants and hotels by 13.7 percent.
Also on Thursday, the Central Bank of Egypt said in a statement that remittances from Egyptians working abroad rose by 31.2 percent year-on-year to about 43.1 billion U.S. dollars in the first 11 months of the 2025-2026 fiscal year.
The remittances, one of Egypt's key sources of foreign currency, continued their upward trend during the July-May period, compared to about 32.8 billion dollars in the same period of the previous fiscal year, the bank said. ■
