Kuala lumpur: Malaysia's inflation, as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), rose 1.9 percent year-on-year (y-o-y) in April 2026 to 136.9 from 134.3 in the same month last year, said the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM).
According to BERNAMA News Agency, chief statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin noted that the inflation rate in April 2026 was mainly influenced by the rise in the transport group, which increased by 4.1 percent compared to 1.6 percent in March 2026.
He further explained that increases were also seen in other categories such as alcoholic beverages and tobacco, which rose by 2.8 percent, information and communication by 2.0 percent, food and beverages by 1.2 percent, and furnishings, household equipment, and routine household maintenance by 0.4 percent.
About 63.5 percent of items, or 364 out of 573, recorded price increases, with 356 items registering an increase of less than or equal to 10 percent. Meanwhile, only eight items saw increases of more than 10 percent in April 2026. Prices of the remaining 165 items, or 28.8 percent, declined, and 44 items remained unchanged.
The housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels group saw an increase of 1.1 percent in April 2026, driven by the subgroup of maintenance, repair, and security of the dwelling, which eased to 2.3 percent from 3.3 percent in March 2026.
The average price of unleaded RON97 increased to RM5.06 per litre, up from RM4.03 per litre in March 2026. The diesel price in Peninsular Malaysia rose to RM5.92 per litre, while in Sabah, Sarawak, and Wilayah Persekutuan Labuan, it remained at RM2.15 per litre. Additionally, the average market price of unleaded RON95 climbed to RM4.00 per litre from RM3.16 per litre in March 2026.
Mohd Uzir also highlighted that Malaysia's inflation rate for April 2026, at 1.9 percent, was lower than that of other selected countries, including the Philippines at 7.2 percent, Vietnam at 5.5 percent, Thailand at 2.9 percent, the Republic of Korea at 2.6 percent, and Indonesia at 2.4 percent.