Slovakia’s annual inflation rate eased to 3.5% in March 2026 from 3.7% in February, coming in slightly above market expectations of 3.4%. This was the lowest rate since December 2024 and was largely driven by slower price growth in several categories, including food and non-alcoholic beverages (1.3% vs 2.7% in February), alcoholic beverages and tobacco (7.9% vs 10.6%), clothing and footwear (1.2% vs 1.8%), information and communication (0.9% vs 1.0%), recreation and culture (4.9% vs 6.0%), education (6.2% vs 6.9%), restaurants and hotels (5.8% vs 7.1%), and miscellaneous goods and services (2.9% vs 3.5%).
By contrast, prices rose more quickly for housing and utilities (6.3% vs 6.0%), health (4.8% vs 4.7%), and insurance and financial services (6.4% vs 6.3%), while transportation prices rebounded (2.1% vs -0.9%). On a monthly basis, consumer prices increased by 0.1%, the same rate as in the previous month. Meanwhile, core inflation, which excludes goods with regulated prices, slowed to 1.9% in March from 2.4% in February.
