Bangladesh’s overall inflation in May surged to an eight-year high at 7.42 per cent, driven mainly by soaring food prices, according to an official report.

The rate of inflation was 6.29 per cent in the previous month (April), according to latest data released by Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) on Sunday.

It also revealed that the inflation rate has been higher in the rural areas in the country.

According to the BBS, inflation in food items rose to 8.30 per cent in May from 6.23 per cent in the previous month. However, in the same month, the rate of inflation in the non-food sector has come down to 6.08 per cent from 6.39 per cent last month.

Read: Rising inflation hurts rural people more than their urban counterparts: BBS

According to the BBS, non-food inflation rose to 6.8 per cent in May. Inflation in rural areas was higher in May than in cities like in the last few months. Inflation in rural areas was 7.94 per cent in May and in the cities it was 7.49 per cent.

According to data released by BBS, prices of most of the 47 essential commodities have gone up in one month.

In May, the price of Miniket rice rose to Tk 72.15 per kg from Tk 69.11 in April. Similarly, the price of pajam varieties of rice went up to Tk 62.72, which was Tk 58.05 in April.

Prices of boro rice, flour, mugdal, molasses, rui fish, hilsa, catfish fish, meat, eggs and milk have gone up. Soybean, dried chilli, onion, ginger, garlic, potato, green chilli, papaya, milk, cloth, melamine utensils are also expensive. Prices of cement, kerosene, coconut oil, cigarettes and white paper also went up.