The Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices and Inflation went down last month when compared to September, NSO figures show.
The HICP went down to 111.46 in October from 111.88 in September.
This primarily reflected a decrease of 5.1 per cent in the Communication Index, mainly due to lower prices for mobile phone services.
The Restaurants and Hotels Index went down by 4.3 per cent, mainly due to seasonal price decreases of accommodation services. Lower air fares caused the Transport Index to go down by 0.6 per cent.
The Health Index decreased by 0.1 per cent, mainly on account of a drop in the price of some pharmaceuticals.
The Clothing and Footwear Index went up by 10.3 per cent on account of seasonal price increases in garments.
The Education Index rose by 8.8 per cent, mainly on account of higher tuition fees.
The Miscellaneous Goods and Services Index registered an increase of 0.6 per cent due to price increases in some jewellery items.
Higher prices for fruit and vegetables caused the Food and Non-alcoholic beverages Index to increase by 0.3 per cent. Higher prices of computers underlay an upward shift of 0.1 per cent in the Recreation and Culture Index. The Furniture, Household Equipment and Routine Maintenance of the House Index registered an increase of 0.1 per cent, mainly on account of higher prices for furniture.
An upward movement in the price of certain materials used for the repair and maintenance of dwellings caused the Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas and Other Fuels Index to go up by 0.1 per cent.
In October, the 12-month moving average rate of inflation stood at 2.7 per cent (September = 3.2 per cent) , whereas the annual rate of inflation stood at -0.5 per cent (from 0.8 per cent in September).
INFLATION IN THE EU
Euro area annual inflation was -0.1% in October 2009, up from -0.3% in September. A year earlier the rate was 3.2%. Monthly inflation was 0.2% in October 2009.
EU annual inflation was 0.5% in October 2009, up from 0.3% in September. A year earlier the rate was 3.7%. Monthly inflation was 0.2% in October 2009.
In October 2009, the lowest annual rates were observed in Ireland (-2.8%), Estonia (-2.1%) and Portugal (-1.6%), and the highest in Romania (4.3%), Hungary (4.2%) and Poland (3.8%). Compared with September 2009, annual inflation fell in eleven Member States and rose in 15.
The lowest 12-month averages up to October 2009 were registered in Ireland (-1.0%), Portugal (-0.6%) and Luxembourg (-0.1%), and the highest in Romania (5.9%), Lithuania (5.4%) and Latvia (5.3%).