Lowest Inflation in 10 years
At 9.43 percent, last year’s inflation was the lowest in the last decade, according to the National Statistics and Census Bureau (INEC in Spanish).

This was so even though prices increased 1.02 percent in December, when the cost of food and beverages, health care, entertainment, and shoes, among others, increased.

The lowest inflation rates in recent years were 9.68 percent in 2002 and 9.87 percent in 2003, while the highest were 14.07 percent in 2005 and 13.13 percent in 2004.

Last year, the INEC made adjustments to the index used to estimate inflation, something that had not been done in 20 years.

Now it includes goods and services such as the Internet, mobile phones, and tourist packages, among others. Generally speaking, the Government attained the goal of ending 2006 with inflation under 10 percent.