December 21, 2018
Inflation continues to surge, falling just a hair short of 40 percent as of last month, the statistics from the Central Bank of Iran 
show.
The annual inflation rate last topped 40 percent for eight months in the middle of 2013.
The highest the rate has hit in any recent month was 45.1 percent in Khordad 1392 (May-June 2013). The rate appears to be headed for a new high in the next few months.
The rate in Aban, ending November 21, was 39.9 percent when compared with the same month last year.
A second measure, which is the average of the last 12 months, put the inflation rate in Aban at 18.4 percent.
The comparison with the same month in the previous year is the more relevant figure as it shows the way inflation is headed. The 12-month average routine trails the same month comparison, with the 12-month average routinely rising or falling later, as can be seen in the accompanying chart.
But some Iranian newspapers are trying to hide the extent of inflation. For example, the English language Tehran Times only published the 18.4 percent figure and declined to publish the higher and more relevant statistic.
The two figures both rose in the past month. The 39.9 percent statistic was 36.8 percent in the previous month. The 18.4 percent figure was 15.9 percent the previous month.
The CIA publishes a tabulation of inflation rates in 227 economies. That table shows only three countries with rates exceeding Iran. The rate for the Democratic Republic of the Congo is 41.5 percent. The rates for Venezuela and South Sudan are so high that the CIA has ceased publishing numbers. The IMF a few months ago said Venezuela’s rate would likely exceed 1 million percent this year.
