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Inflation by EU standard: Prices in February rose faster than the EU average

2026-03-18 13:07:00, Ekonomi CNA

Inflation in Albania measured through the Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices (HICP), Eurostat methodology reached 2.5% in February 2026, according to the latest data from the Institute of Statistics (INSTAT). This value was higher than the EU average where the average inflation in February was 2.1%.

This indicator marked a slight increase compared to the previous month, where consumer prices increased by 0.5% within a month. The highest annual increase was observed in the group “Entertainment, sports and culture”, which became more expensive by 9.7%, having a significant impact of 0.60 percentage points on the total inflation figure. However, the main weight in the increase in prices continues to be held by “Food and non-alcoholic beverages”, which, although they increased by 2.3%, made the largest contribution to the index with 0.81 percentage points due to their high weight in the consumer basket.

Other groups such as "Personal Care" with 3.3% and "Insurance" with 3.0% also contributed to this upward trend, while the transportation sector remained almost unchanged with a minimal increase of 0.1%.

Compared to other European countries, Albania is positioned at an average level, staying above the European Union average, which for February 2026 was calculated at 2.1%.

Albania, with 2.5%, has a lower inflation rate than countries like Romania, which tops the list with the highest price increases in Europe, followed by Iceland, Slovakia and Croatia. On the other hand, our country has a higher inflation rate than major economic powers like Germany, France and Italy, or other countries like Finland and Sweden. The lowest levels of price increases in Europe for this period were recorded in Denmark and Switzerland, which close the ranking with the lowest inflation rates.

This INSTAT publication also marks an important methodological moment, as since February 2026, the calculation of the index is based on the new ECOICOP 2018 classification and has changed the base reference year to 2025=100.

This change aims to fully harmonize with Eurostat's European statistical practices, ensuring that the measurement of price stability in Albania is comparable to international standards./ Monitor