JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s inflation eased to 3.2 percent in September from 3.5 percent last month despite a major rise in food, housing and utility prices, official data showed.

Analysts polled by Reuters in September expected average inflation in the world’s top crude exporter to climb to 3.8 percent in 2013 and 3.9 percent in 2014 from 2.9 percent in 2012.

Consumer prices slowed to 3.2 percent compared to 3 percent in the same month a year earlier, while monthly inflation remained unchanged from April at 0.2 percent, according to data from the Central Department of Statistics (CDS).

The food and beverage prices rose 5.9 percent year-on-year in September and 0.5 percent from the previous month, while housing and utility costs surged 3.7 percent on an annual basis and 0.1 percent month-on-month.

The data are based on the 2007 consumer basket.