Customers shop for groceries at a store in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on Jan. 21, 2025. Canada's Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 1.8 percent on a year-over-year basis in December, down from a 1.9 percent increase in November, Statistics Canada said on Tuesday. (Photo by Liang Sen/Xinhua)

OTTAWA, Jan. 21 (Xinhua) -- Canada's Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 1.8 percent on a year-over-year basis in December, down from a 1.9 percent increase in November, Statistics Canada said on Tuesday.

According to the national statistical agency, Canadians paid less for food purchased from restaurants in December on a year-over-year basis. This was the index's first annual decline.

On a monthly basis, the CPI declined 0.4 percent in December, following a flat month in November, the agency said.

On an annual average basis, the CPI rose 2.4 percent in 2024, down from 3.9 percent in 2023. Excluding energy, the annual average CPI rose 2.6 percent in 2024 compared with 4.5 percent in 2023, said Statistics Canada. ■

A customer shops for groceries at a store in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on Jan. 21, 2025. Canada's Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 1.8 percent on a year-over-year basis in December, down from a 1.9 percent increase in November, Statistics Canada said on Tuesday. (Photo by Liang Sen/Xinhua)

A customer shops for groceries at a store in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on Jan. 21, 2025. Canada's Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 1.8 percent on a year-over-year basis in December, down from a 1.9 percent increase in November, Statistics Canada said on Tuesday. (Photo by Liang Sen/Xinhua)

A customer shops for fruits at a market in Toronto, Canada, on Jan. 21, 2025. Canada's Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 1.8 percent on a year-over-year basis in December, down from a 1.9 percent increase in November, Statistics Canada said on Tuesday. (Photo by Zou Zheng/Xinhua)

A customer shops for groceries at a market in Toronto, Canada, on Jan. 21, 2025. Canada's Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 1.8 percent on a year-over-year basis in December, down from a 1.9 percent increase in November, Statistics Canada said on Tuesday. (Photo by Zou Zheng/Xinhua)