Turkey's annual inflation rate soars to 11.39 pct in May

Source: Xinhua | 2020-06-04

Turkey's annual inflation soared to 11.39 percent in May, mainly driven by rising prices in alcoholic beverages and tobaccos, according to official data published on Wednesday.

The country's monthly inflation increased by 1.36 percent in May, according to the figures by the Turkish Statistical Institute.

The highest price rise was reported in alcoholic beverages and tobacco, surging by 21.41 percent year on year, while the lowest one was observed in communication, and entertainment and culture, with increases of 2.98 percent and 3.74 percent respectively.

On May 28, the Turkish government decided to ease the COVID-19 restrictions, announcing a series of normalization steps, as the figures related to the COVID-19 cases have been in decline for several weeks.

Restaurants, cafes, beaches, daycare centers, kindergartens, libraries, sports facilities, and museums resumed operation, and the ban on domestic travel was lifted in line with the new measures on Monday.