The price of the basic food basket in El Salvador grew approximately 12.9% in urban areas and 15.18% in rural areas in January, compared to the same month in 2022, according to official data reviewed by EFE this Thursday.
Figures from the Central Reserve Bank (BCR) indicate that the food basket in rural areas stood at US$185.26 in January, while in the same month of 2022 it was US$157.13.
For its part, the cost of basic foods of the Salvadoran diet per family in the urban area cost US$213.43 in 2022 and in January 2023 it reached a value of US$245.02.
Among the elements that make up this basic food basket are bread, tortillas, beans, meat, eggs and fruit, among others, for a family of about four members.
The “annual variation” of inflation in El Salvador marked 7.03% in January, with which the Central American country added its ninth consecutive month above 7%.
The BCR database indicates that the “annual growth” rate of the consumer price index, which is the indicator used to measure inflation, was 7.32% in December.
The economic growth rates forecast by the BCR for El Salvador in 2022 and 2023 are higher than those estimated by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (Cepal).
The Central Bank forecasts that the Salvadoran economy will grow between 2% and 3% in 2023, due to the “dynamism of domestic demand” and that the economic expansion in 2022 will reach 2.8%.