Eurostat measurements, August inflation 2.3%, food dominates growth

2025-09-17 18:58:16, Ekonomi CNA

Measured using Eurostat's methodology, the Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices in August 2025 increased by 2.3%.

The largest price increase of 9.9% was observed in the “Entertainment and culture” group, followed by the “Hotels, cafes and restaurants” groups with 3.6%, “Alcoholic beverages and tobacco” with 3.3%, “Furniture, household equipment and maintenance” with 2.7%. The “Food and non-alcoholic beverages” group increased by 1.7%, “Miscellaneous goods and services” with 1.6%, “Communication” with 1.1%, “Health” and “Educational services” with 1.0% each, “Rent, water, fuel and energy” with 0.6%, “Clothing and footwear” with 0.4%. On the other hand, the prices of the “Transport” group decreased by 0.7%.

In August 2025, the monthly change measured by the Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices is +0.2%. This change was mainly influenced by the increase in prices of the group “Clothing and footwear” by 0.6%, followed by the groups “Alcoholic beverages and tobacco” and “Rent, water, fuel and energy” by 0.5% each, “Furniture, household equipment and maintenance” and “Hotels, cafes and restaurants” by 0.4% each, “Miscellaneous goods and services” by 0.2%, “Food and non-alcoholic beverages”, “Health”, “Communication” and “Entertainment and culture” by 0.1% each. On the other hand, the prices of the group “Transport” decreased by 0.2%.

Consumer prices continue to show large differences between European Union countries. According to the latest data for August 2025, Romania leads the list with an annual inflation rate of over 8%, followed by Estonia and Croatia with levels above 5–6%. Slovakia, Hungary and Latvia also recorded significant increases in the consumer price index, ranging from 4 to 5%.

At the other end of the spectrum, some of Europe's largest economies are showing sluggish price growth. Switzerland, the Czech Republic and France are recording levels below 2%, while Italy, the Netherlands and Ireland are showing rates around that mark. These figures show a marked improvement in inflation control, especially compared to the highs of the last two years.

In total, the average inflation of EU countries reached 2.4%, staying close to the target set by the European Central Bank./ Monitor.al