Consumer Price Index, May 2018
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Released: 2018-06-22
May 2018
2.2% 
(12-month change)
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 2.2% on a year-over-year basis in May, matching the increase in April.
Chart 1
The 12-month change in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and the CPI excluding energy
Component highlights
All eight major components increased on a year-over-year basis in May, although five of the eight major components grew at a slower rate. The transportation index rose 5.6% in May, following a 4.7% increase in April.
Chart 2
Consumer prices increase in all major components
Energy prices rose 11.6% year over year in May, following a 6.3% increase in April. This growth was led by the gasoline index, which rose 22.9% in the 12 months to May. The electricity index (-0.8%) posted a smaller decline on a year-over-year basis in May than in the previous month. Prices for fuel oil and other fuels were up 22.2% in the 12-month period ending in May.
The all-items excluding energy index increased 1.6% on a year-over-year basis in May after a 1.9% increase in April. The principal factor offsetting the increase in May was a decline in the telephone services index, which fell 7.1% year over year, following a 0.9% decrease in April. The traveller accommodation index declined 4.2% in the 12 months to May.
Regional highlights
Prices rose more on a year-over-year basis in five provinces in May compared with the previous month. The fresh vegetables index registered larger declines on a month-over-month basis in the Atlantic provinces compared with the other provinces. Prices for telephone services decreased the most month over month in Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick.
Chart 3
Consumer prices rise at a faster rate in five provinces
Seasonally adjusted monthly Consumer Price Index
On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, the CPI increased 0.1% in May, matching the increases in April and March. The recreation, education and reading index (+1.7%) registered the largest gain, while the household operations, furnishings and equipment index (-1.0%) declined the most.
Chart 4
Seasonally adjusted monthly Consumer Price Index
Note to readers
Publication discontinued
The publication Consumer Price Index (62-001-X) has been discontinued. The associated data tables have been integrated into the website and will be dynamically updated as new results are released. The following document presents both former CANSIM tables and the new data tables: Consumer Prices Division – Concordance Table.
Upcoming changes to the table "Inter-city indexes of price differentials of consumer goods and services": Addition of two new geographic strata
Data on inter-city indexes of price differentials of consumer goods and services will be updated to October 2017 with the release of the June 2018 Consumer Price Index (CPI) (to be published on July 20, 2018). As well, the geographic strata "Whitehorse, Yukon" and "Yellowknife, Northwest Territories" will be introduced into the table, reflecting data for the all-items index and its eight major components and selected sub-groups.
Real-time data tables
Real-time data table 18-10-0259-01 will be updated on July 9.
Next release
The CPI for June will be released on July 20.
Products
More information about the concepts and use of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) is available in The Canadian Consumer Price Index Reference Paper (62-553-X).
For information on the history of the CPI in Canada, consult the publication Exploring the First Century of Canada's Consumer Price Index (62-604-X).
Two videos, "An Overview of Canada's Consumer Price Index (CPI)" and "The Consumer Price Index and Your Experience of Price Change," are available on Statistics Canada's YouTube channel.
Contact information
For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; STATCAN.infostats-infostats.STATCAN@canada.ca) or Media Relations (613-951-4636; STATCAN.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.STATCAN@canada.ca).
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