Inflation Rate In the Euro Area decreased to 1.90 percent in May from 2.20 percent in April of 2025. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - Euro Area Inflation Rate - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

Inflation Rate in European Union decreased to 2.20 percent in May from 2.40 percent in April of 2025. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - European Union Inflation Rate - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

As of April 2025, the inflation rate in the European Union was 2.4 percent, with prices rising fastest in Romania, which had an inflation rate of 4.9 percent. By contrast, both France and Cyprus saw low inflation rates during the same period, with France having the lowest inflation rate in the EU during this month. The rate of inflation in the EU in the October 2022 was higher than at any other time, with the peak prior to 2021 recorded in July 2008 when prices were growing by 4.4 percent year-on-year. Before the recent rises in inflation, price rises in the EU had been kept at relatively low levels, with the inflation rate remaining below three percent between January 2012 and August 2021. Rapid recovery and energy costs driving inflation The reopening of the European economy in 2021 following the sudden shock of COVID-19 in 2020 is behind many of the factors that have caused prices to rise so quickly in 2022. Global supply chains have not yet recovered from production issues, travel restrictions, and workforce problems brought about by the pandemic. Rising energy costs have only served to exacerbate supply problems, particularly with regard to the transport sector, which had the highest inflation rate of any sector in the EU in December 2021. High inflation rates mirrored in the U.S. The high inflation rates seen in Europe have been reflected in other parts of the world. In the United States, for example, the consumer price index reached a 40-year-high of seven percent in December 2021, influenced by many of the same factors driving European inflation. Nevertheless, it is hoped that once these supply chain issues ease, inflation levels will start to fall throughout the course of 2022.

The inflation rate in the European Union was 2.4 percent in April 2025, a significant decline from the high-point reached in October 2022 of 11.5 percent, the highest rate of inflation recorded in the provided time period. Before 2021, the inflation rate in the EU peaked at 4.4 percent in July 2008 and was lowest in January 2015, when prices were shrinking by 0.5 percent. Currently, Romania has the highest inflation rate among EU member states at 4.9 percent, while France has the lowest inflation rate, at 0.9 percent.

Historical chart and dataset showing European Union inflation rate by year from 1960 to 2023.

The statistic shows the inflation rate in France from January 2021 to August 2023. The term inflation means the devaluation of money caused by a permanent increase of the price level for products (consumer goods, investment goods). The Consumer Price Index shows the price development for private expenses and shows the current level of inflation when increasing. August 2023, the inflation rate in France increased by 4.9 percent compared to the same month of the previous year.

This dataset provides values for INFLATION RATE reported in several countries. The data includes current values, previous releases, historical highs and record lows, release frequency, reported unit and currency.

The statistic shows the inflation rate in the European Union and the Euro area from 2019 to 2022, with projections up until 2029. The term inflation, also known as currency devaluation (drop in the value of money), is characterized by a steady rise in prices for finished products (consumer goods, capital goods). The consumer price index tracks price trends of private consumption expenditure, and shows an increase in the index's current level of inflation. In 2022, the inflation rate in the EU was about 9.32 percent compared to the previous year. The economic situation in the European Union and the euro area The ongoing Eurozone crisis, which initially emerged in 2009, has dramatically affected most countries in the European Union. The crisis primarily prevented many countries from refinancing their debt without help from a third party and slowed economic growth throughout the entire EU. As a result, general gross debt escalated annually in the euro area and more prominently in the EU. The collective sum of debt is most likely going to continue, given the current global economic situation as well as Europe’s recovering, however struggling economy. Struggles are primarily evident in the EU’s budget balance, which saw itself in the negative every year over the same timeframe as the eurozone crisis, although the balances improved on a yearly basis. Despite economical struggles, the EU still grew in population almost every year over the past decade, primarily due to a high standard of living and job opportunities, compared to many of its surrounding neighbors.

This data package includes the underlying data files to replicate the data and charts presented in The Inflation Surge in Europe by Patrick Honohan, PIIE Policy Brief 24-2.

If you use the data, please cite as: Honohan, Patrick. 2024. The Inflation Surge in Europe. PIIE Policy Brief 24-2. Washington, DC: Peterson Institute for International Economics.

Core consumer prices In the Euro Area increased 2.30 percent in June of 2025 over the same month in the previous year. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - Euro Area Core Inflation Rate - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

Historical chart and dataset showing Euro Area inflation rate by year from 1960 to 2023.

Since 2021, the large economies of Western Europe have been experiencing a surge in inflation, with inflation reaching as high as 11.84 percent in Italy during October 2022. During 2023 the rate of inflation in all these economies has fallen significantly, reaching as low as 0.67 percent in Italy and 3.17 percent in Germany. This inflationary episode is understood by economists to have been caused by several factors, notably the supply chain issues during the COVID-19 pandemic, pent-up consumer demand which was released after lockdowns ended, as well as policies of monetary and fiscal stimulus during the pandemic aimed at boosting economic activity.

Inflation Expectations In the Euro Area increased to 3.10 percent in April from 2.90 percent in March of 2025. This dataset includes a chart with historical data for Euro Area Inflation Expectations.

Cost of food in European Union increased 3.60 percent in May of 2025 over the same month in the previous year. This dataset provides - European Union Food Inflation - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Inflation Rate in Germany decreased to 2 percent in June from 2.10 percent in May of 2025. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - Germany Inflation Rate - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

This dataset is about countries per year in Western Europe. It has 9 rows and is filtered where the date is 2021. It features 3 columns: country, and inflation.

Cost of food In the Euro Area increased 2.90 percent in May of 2025 over the same month in the previous year. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - Euro Area Food Inflation - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

In March 2025, the inflation rate for restaurants, cafés, and similar services in the European Union was 4.1 percent. Over the period considered, restaurants and cafés in the EU recorded their lowest inflation rate in February 2021, at 1.7 percent.

This bar chart displays inflation (annual %) by date using the aggregation median in Southern Europe. The data is filtered where the date is 2021. The data is about countries per year.

This bar chart displays inflation (annual %) by countries yearly using the aggregation median in Southern Europe. The data is filtered where the date is 2021. The data is about countries per year.