Annual inflation in the eurozone falls to 2.0 percent in December 2025, which is a decrease compared to 2.1 percent in November. This is indicated by an express assessment by Eurostat - the statistical office of the European Union. The data coincide with the expectations of economists surveyed by Reuters, BTA reported.
The last time inflation was at this level was in August last year.
The countries with the largest increase in inflation are Estonia and Slovakia, Austria (3.9 percent) and Croatia (3.8 percent). The lowest inflation in December on an annual basis was in Cyprus (0.1 percent), France (0.7 percent) and Italy (1.2 percent).
By main components of inflation, the highest annual growth in December is expected in services - 3.4 percent, compared to 3.5 percent in November. This is followed by the prices of food, alcohol and tobacco products with an increase of 2.6 percent compared to 2.4 percent a month earlier.
The prices of non-energy industrial goods are expected to increase by 0.4 percent on an annual basis in December, compared to 0.5 percent in November. The energy sector is forecast to decline by 1.9 percent, after a reported decrease of 0.5 percent in the previous month on a year-on-year basis.
On a monthly basis, euro area inflation is 0.2 percent, preliminary data also show.
Eurostat also announced that from February 4, when inflation for January will be reported, major changes in the calculation of the Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) will come into effect, which include the introduction of a new European classification (ECOICOP 2, consistent with the UN), the addition of gambling to the consumer basket and updating the base year to 2025=100.