In March consumer prices of Lima Metropolitan area increased 0.81%

The National Institute of Statistics and Informatics (INEI) informed that during March of 2025, the Consumer Price Index of Lima Metropolitan area increased by 0.81%, compared to the last month, with an accumulated variation of 0.91% as of the third month of the year and of the last twelve months (April 2024 - March 2025).

In the technical report “Variation of the Price Indicators of the Economy” is stated that the monthly result is based in the increase of prices registered in the consumer divisions: education (3.40%), foods and non-alcoholic beverages (1.85%), recreation and culture (0.36%), goods and different services (0.28%), restaurants and hotels (0.26%), furniture, articles for household and Routine Household Maintenance (0.21%) and clothing items and footwear (0.18%). In a lower measure increased the prices of alcoholic beverages, tobacco and narcotics (0.06%), health (0.03%), communications (0.03%) and accommodation, water, electricity, gas and other fuels (0.01%). On the other hand, it decreased the prices of transportation division (-0.25%).

The increase in the division of education was due to the increase registered in the secondary education level (4.9%) due to the greater prices in the monthly cost of non-state secondary education level (5.4%), spend in enrollment process of non-state secondary education level (1.9%) and payments by other concepts of secondary education level (1.4%). Likewise, it increased the price of pre-school and primary education level (4.6%) due to the increase in the monthly cost of non-state primary (5.4%) and early (4.5%) education level; also, the spend in enrollment process of non-state primary (1.6%) and early (1.3%) education level. Likewise, the prices of the payments for other concepts of early (1.2%) and primary (1.0%) education level.

Meanwhile, the prices of tertiary education level grew (2.8%) such as the monthly cost in undergraduate non-state university (3.9%) and non-state superior institute (1.0%). In addition, it increased the price of the payments for other concepts in pre-graduate university (2.3%) and expense in enrollment process in non-state superior institute (1,0%).

In foods and non-alcoholic beverages increased the prices of milk, cheese and eggs (4.1%) outstanding the increase in chicken eggs (15.2%). Likewise, it increased the prices of meat (3.5%) such as eviscerated chicken (8.8%), chicken innards (4.6%), eviscerated hen (4.1%) and chicken cuts: wings (4.1%), leg (3.9%) and breast (3.3%); and breaded chicken (2.4%). In the same way, it was observed the increase of prices in vegetables, legumes including potato and other tubers (3.1%) such as tomato (19.0%), leek (16.5%), lettuce (15.9%), beet (14.9%), celery (12.1%), onion head (8.7%), carrot (7.0%), whole garlic (6.8%), yuca (6.5%) and corn (5.6%). In the coffee, tea and cacao group (1.3%) increased the prices of ground roasted coffee (3.6%) and instant coffee (1.2%).

In the increase registered in fishing and seafood (1.1%) was due to the greater prices of species such as parrot fish (10.6%), Lisa fish (4.5%), bonito (2.0%) and horse mackerel (1.4%). In mineral Waters, soft drinks, juice and legume fruits (0.6%) increased the prices of carbonated beverages (0.8%); in bread and cereals (0.3%), purple corn (2.3%), cookies: sweet (0.9%), filled (0.7%) and salty (0.7%); long pasta dry noodles (0.6%) and bulk rice (0.5%). Among the fruits (0.1%) that increased their price were the blueberries (277%), mango (26.0%), fruit juice (25.2%), strawberry (14.8%), silk banana (4.6%) and Inguiri green banana (4.4%). Meanwhile that it decreased the prices of sweet granadilla (-26.9%), passion fruit (- 11.0%) and mandarin (-10.4%).

In restaurants and hotels increased the prices of food service in restaurants and similar facilities (0.3%) due to increase observed in Chaufa rice (1.1%), menu in restaurants (0.3%), ceviche (0.2%) and grilled chicken (0.1%). In addition, the price of beverage service in restaurants and similar facilities (0.3%) increased due to the increase of price of served beer (0.4%), hot beverages (0.3%) and fruit smoothie (0.2%).

The reduction of prices in transportation is explained by the decrease in prices of transportation of passengers by air (-5.9%) due to the decrease of domestic airfare (-14.6%) and international (-2.5%); interprovincial omnibus fare (-5.4%) and fuels for vehicles (-1.9%) such as gasohol (-2.1%), diesel oil (-1.4%) and liquefied petroleum gas (-1.3%). On the other hand, the prices of transportation to study centers and new automobiles (1.8%).

During the month of March of 2025, from the 586 products that are part of the family basket, 323 increased the price, 124 decreased their prices and 139 products did not registered variation. Those that registered a greater increase of price compared to the last month, were: blueberries (27.67%), mango (25.95%), orange for juice (25.16%), tomato (19.04%), leek (16.49%), lettuce (15.87%), chicken eggs (15.18%), and beet (14.88%).

Meanwhile that the products with downwards price were: sweet granadilla (-26.87%), hot chili pepper (-20.00%), domestic air ticket (-14.64%), passion fruit (-10.98%), mandarin (-10.36%), cucumber (-7.18%), ticket in interprovince omnibus (-5.42%) and olluco (-5.41%).

The variation of the Consumer Price Index of the month of March of 2025, was mainly influenced by the increase of price in the school and university monthly cost in private study centers due to the beginning of the school and university year, as well as in the prices of eviscerated chicken, chicken eggs and tomato, that together contributed with 0.563 percentage points to the result of the month. It is worth to mention that the mentioned increases were dimmed by the decrease of prices in sweet granadilla, mandarin, national air ticket, interprovince omnibus fare and gasohol.

The monthly variation of Consumer Price Index of Lima Metropolitan area without considering foods and energy (underlying inflation) in March of 2025 increased by 0.64%.

In March of 2025, the Consumer Price Index at National Level increased 0.76%, compared to the last month accumulating an increase of 0.80% as of the third month of the year and in the last twelve months (April 2024-March 2025) of 1.32%. This behavior was associated to the increase observed in the following consumption divisions: education (3.34%), foods and non-alcoholic beverages (1.64%), goods and different services (0.29%), restaurants and hotels (0.26%), furniture, articles for household (0.20%), recreation and culture (0.20%), clothing items and footwear (0.19%), accommodation, water, electricity and gas (0.11%), alcoholic beverages and tobacco (0.07%), health (0.07%) and communications (0.03%). Meanwhile, the division of transportation registered a decrease of prices (-0.22%).

During the month under analysis, 25 out of the 26 cities where the Consumer Price Index is calculated registered an increase of prices, compared to the last month, outstanding Cajamarca (1.00%), Trujillo and Piura (0.96% each one), Arequipa (0.88%), Tacna and Chiclayo (0.83% each one) and Lima Metropolitan area (0.81%). Meanwhile, a decrease of prices was registered in the city of Puno (-0.07%).

During the month of March of 2025, the Wholesale Price Index reduced by o.15% compared to February, due to the lower prices in imported goods of manufacturing (diesel petroleum, oilseed cake, yarn of synthetic staple fibers, PVC resins, automobiles, cyanide, vehicles for transportation, front loaders, road tractors for semi-trailers, mobile phone, steel sheets and construction rods) and agriculture (wheat). Meanwhile, the prices of domestic products increase: livestock (chicken and live hen, eggs, pigs and cattle), agriculture (onion, pumpkin, mango, orange, carrot, tomato, coffee beans, yucca, banana and sweet potato) and fishing (mackerel, cabrilla fish, horse mackerel, Parrot fish and Bonito fish). Nevertheless, the industrial goods dropped their price (petroleum: industrial and Diesel, gasohol, construction rods, liquid petroleum gas (GLP), brown sugar, cotton yarn, industrial whole-wheat flour; contaminated metal packaging and grated canned fish).

During the month under analysis, the Price Index of Machinery and Equipment decreased by 0.94% compared to the last month, due to the low prices registered in imported capital goods, that were affected by the variation of exchange rate, outstanding the machinery and transportation equipment (pick-up trucks, road tractor for semi-trailer and filters), agriculture machinery (tractors and shovels), industrial machinery (desktop computers, excavators, wheel loaders, forklift, dozers and printers) and other machinery and equipment (different electricity meters and electro-medical devices). Likewise, the prices of domestic capital goods drop, such as machinery and equipment for agriculture (drinking troughs and birds nesting), industrial machinery (transformers, metallic tanks, electric boards and welding machines), other machinery (nets for a catch and stretchers -armchairs for medical treatment) and machinery for transportation (car bodies, springs for automotive vehicle and moto-taxi).

During March of 2025, the Price Index of Construction Materials in Lima Metropolitan area decreased by 0.17%, compared to the last month, influenced by the negative behavior of four of its ten groups that are part of the indicator: metallic (construction rods, wire rod, zinc plated corrugated sheets, LAC steel sheets, LAC iron tube and black wire), glasses (templated and primary), woods (plywood, chipboards and Capirona wood) and binders (Portland Type I cement). On the other hand, the prices of bricks increase (king kong, Pandereta brick and Pastelero brick), power supplies (cables: for energy and telephone, influencing the greater cost of copper), tubes and plastic accessories (basically, water tanks), tiles and mosaics (wall coating), aggregates (sand) and concrete structures (flat fiber sheets).