By Tuba Sahin
ANKARA (AA) - Turkey posted an 11.84% annual hike in consumer prices in December, the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) announced on Friday.
The annual inflation rose 1.28 percentage points last month, up from 10.56% in November.
December 2018 annual inflation rate was 20.30%, according to TurkStat.
A group of 14 economists polled by Anadolu Agency on Monday expected annual inflation to hit 11.51% and monthly inflation to reach 0.45% in December.
On a monthly basis, consumer price index saw a rise of 0.74% in December.
Since the beginning of the year, inflation fell by 8.51 percentage points from 20.35% in January. This October recorded the lowest annual inflation rate it had seen in the last three years with 8.55%.
Turkey's inflation rate is expected to hit 12% this year, as laid out in the new economic program for 2020-2022 announced by the government this September.
The country's year-end inflation forecast of Turkish Central Bank was in line with the government's projection.
Over the last decade, annual inflation saw its lowest level at 3.99% in March 2011, while it peaked at 25.24% in October 2018.