According to official data published by the Central Statistics Office on Monday, the annual rate of inflation was 0.2 index points lower than the 5.2 percent observed in December 2018.
“The decrease was due to declining annual rates of change reflected in January in the price indices for transport, which decreased from 2.4 percent in December 2018 to 1.1 percent in January 2019,” the agency said.
It noted that the decline in the cost of fuels and lubricants largely contributed to the decreased index in this category.
It added: “Recreation and culture decreased from 3.0 per cent in December 2018 to 2.0 per cent in January 2019. Also, periodicals and books mainly resulted in the decreased index.”