Uruguay registers inflation rate of 9.19% in 2008

Special Report:Global Financial Crisis

MONTEVIDEO, Jan. 5 (Chinese media) -- Uruguay closed 2008

with a 9.19-percent increase in the Consumer Price Index (CPI), the government

said Monday.

The increase in the inflation rate in Uruguay was the

highest since 2004 and surpassed the official goal for 2008, said the National

Institute of Statistics.

The Uruguayan government had estimated an inflation

rate of between 3 percent and 7 percent for 2008.

The inflation rate in Uruguay was 8.50 percent in

2007.

The retail price of food and drinks increased 10.6 percent in 2008 and considerably boosted inflation.