The consumer price index (CPI), which gauges headline inflation, climbed 1.15% year-on-year in May. That compares to increases of 2.23% in April and 1.24% in March.
The uptick was 0.73% year-on-year in February and 0.27% in January.
According to a Commerce Ministry report, prices rose 0.48% from the previous month in May after increasing 0.44% in April. The increase was attributed to higher prices of fresh fruits and vegetables, raw foods and public transportation services.
Core CPI, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, rose 0.54% year-on-year in May and 0.10% from April.
For the first five months of the year, headline inflation averaged 0.92% from the same period last year, with core inflation at 0.60%