---
source: Eurostat
url: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-euro-indicators/w/2-31032026-ap
document_type: html
date_retrieved: 2026-03-31
period: March 2026
parent_publication: Euro indicators - HICP flash estimate
indicators_covered: [Inflation Rate YoY Flash, Inflation Rate MoM Flash, CPI Flash, Core Inflation Rate YoY Flash]
---

# Euro area annual inflation up to 2.5%

**Flash estimate - March 2026**
**31 March 2026**

## Overview

**Euro area** annual inflation is expected to be **2.5% in March 2026, up from 1.9% in February** according to a flash estimate from **Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union**.

Looking at the main components of **euro area** inflation, **energy is expected to have the highest annual rate in March (4.9%, compared with -3.1% in February), followed by services (3.2%, compared with 3.4% in February), food, alcohol & tobacco (2.4%, compared with 2.5% in February) and non-energy industrial goods (0.5%, compared with 0.7% in February)**.

## Tables

### Euro area annual inflation and its components (%)

| | Weights (‰) 2026 | Annual rate Mar 25 | Annual rate Oct 26 | Annual rate Nov 26 | Annual rate Dec 25 | Annual rate Jan 26 | Annual rate Feb 26 | Annual rate Mar 26 | Monthly rate Mar 26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| **All-items HICP** | 1000.0 | 2.2 | 2.1 | 2.1 | 2.0 | 1.7 | 1.9 | **2.5e** | 1.2e |
| **All-items excluding: energy** | 909.5 | 2.5 | 2.4 | 2.4 | 2.4 | 2.3 | 2.4 | **2.3e** | 0.7e |
| **energy, unprocessed food** | 858.0 | 2.5 | 2.4 | 2.4 | 2.3 | 2.2 | 2.3 | **2.2e** | 0.7e |
| **energy, food, alcohol & tobacco** | 719.8 | 2.4 | 2.4 | 2.4 | 2.3 | 2.2 | 2.4 | **2.3e** | 0.8e |
| **Food, alcohol & tobacco** | 189.8 | 2.9 | 2.5 | 2.4 | 2.5 | 2.6 | 2.5 | **2.4e** | 0.1e |
| **processed food, alcohol & tobacco** | 138.3 | 2.7 | 2.4 | 2.3 | 2.1 | 2.0 | 1.8 | **1.7e** | 0.2e |
| **unprocessed food** | 51.5 | 3.6 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 3.5 | 4.2 | 4.6 | **4.1e** | 0.1e |
| **Energy** | 90.5 | -1.0 | -0.9 | -0.5 | -1.9 | -4.0 | -3.1 | **4.9e** | 6.8e |
| **Non-energy industrial goods** | 252.8 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.7 | **0.5e** | 1.7e |
| **Services** | 466.9 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 3.2 | 3.4 | **3.2e** | 0.3e |

e: estimated

### Inflation rates (%) measured by the HICP

| | Annual rate Mar 25 | Annual rate Oct 26 | Annual rate Nov 26 | Annual rate Dec 25 | Annual rate Jan 26 | Annual rate Feb 26 | Annual rate Mar 26 | Monthly rate Mar 26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Belgium** | 3.6 | 2.5 | 2.6 | 2.2 | 1.4 | 1.4 | **2.0e** | 0.2e |
| **Bulgaria** | 4.0 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 3.5 | 2.3 | 2.1 | **2.6e** | 0.9e |
| **Germany** | 2.3 | 2.3 | 2.5 | 2.0 | 2.1 | 2.0 | **2.8e** | 1.2e |
| **Estonia** | 4.3 | 4.5 | 4.7 | 4.0 | 3.8 | 3.2 | **3.3** | -0.2 |
| **Ireland** | 1.8 | 2.8 | 3.1 | 2.7 | 2.5 | 2.5 | **3.6e** | 1.7e |
| **Greece** | 3.1 | 1.6 | 2.8 | 2.9 | 2.9 | 3.1 | **3.3e** | 2.0e |
| **Spain** | 2.2 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 3.0 | 2.4 | 2.5 | **3.3e** | 1.5e |
| **France** | 0.9 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 1.1 | **1.9e** | 1.1e |
| **Croatia** | 4.3 | 4.0 | 4.3 | 3.8 | 3.6 | 3.9 | **4.7e** | 1.2e |
| **Italy** | 2.1 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 1.5 | **1.5e** | 1.6e |
| **Cyprus** | 2.1 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 1.2 | 0.9 | **1.5e** | 1.0e |
| **Latvia** | 3.5 | 4.3 | 3.8 | 3.4 | 2.9 | 2.4 | **3.6e** | 2.1e |
| **Lithuania** | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 3.2 | 2.8 | 3.3 | **4.5e** | 1.6e |
| **Luxembourg** | 1.6 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 3.3 | 1.6 | 1.8 | **3.8e** | 1.8e |
| **Malta** | 2.2 | 2.5 | 2.4 | 2.5 | 2.3 | 2.3 | **2.3e** | 1.1e |
| **Netherlands** | 3.4 | 3.0 | 2.6 | 2.7 | 2.2 | 2.3 | **2.6e** | 0.8e |
| **Austria** | 3.1 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 3.8 | 2.1 | 2.3 | **3.1e** | 1.1e |
| **Portugal** | 1.9 | 2.0 | 2.1 | 2.4 | 1.9 | 2.1 | **2.7e** | 2.3e |
| **Slovenia** | 2.2 | 3.1 | 2.4 | 2.6 | 2.4 | 2.8 | **2.4** | 0.4 |
| **Slovakia** | 4.2 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 4.1 | 4.3 | 4.0 | **3.7e** | 0.0e |
| **Finland** | 1.8 | 1.4 | 1.5 | 1.7 | 1.0 | 1.8 | **2.4e** | 0.7e |

e: estimated

## Notes for users

### Revisions and timetable
The euro area inflation flash estimate is issued at the end of each reference month.

The complete set of harmonised indices of consumer prices (HICP) for the euro area, EU and Member States is released around the middle of the month following the reference month.

The next release with full data for March 2026 is scheduled for 16 April 2026.

### Methods and definitions
**Annual inflation** is the price change of consumer goods and services between the current month and the same month of the previous year. **Monthly inflation** is the price change between the current month and the previous month.

### Geographical information
Up to December 31, 2025, the **euro area** included Belgium, Germany, Estonia, Ireland, Greece, Spain, France, Croatia, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Austria, Portugal, Slovenia, Slovakia and Finland **(EA20)**. From 1 January 2026, the **euro area** also includes Bulgaria **(EA21)**.

The aggregate data series published in this Euro indicator release refer to the evolving composition of the euro area. Thus, Euro indicator data for months up to December 2025 represent EA20 series, while Euro indicator data for January 2026 onwards represent EA21 series. Changes in the composition of the euro area are incorporated using a chain index formula.