In October 2025, Finland experienced a 0.2% decrease in its annual inflation rate, a notable shift from the 0.5% increase recorded in the previous month. This decline marks the first instance of deflation in over five years, primarily driven by a significant drop in clothing and footwear prices, which fell to -0.30% from a 0.71% increase in September. Additionally, there was a more pronounced decrease in the prices of housing and utilities (-2.99% from -1.45%), miscellaneous goods and services (-2.58% from -2.50%), and transportation (-0.93% from -0.68%).
Conversely, the inflation rate for food and non-alcoholic beverages moderated to 1.59% from 2.47%, while alcoholic beverages, tobacco, and narcotics saw a decrease to 2.66% from 3.44%. Health sector inflation eased to 5.53% from 6.18%, and recreation and cultural activities saw a reduction to 2.32% from 2.60%. However, there was an uptick in prices for furnishings, household equipment, and routine household maintenance, which climbed to 0.68% from 0.19%, as well as an increase in communication costs to 4.37% from 4.06%, and restaurant and hotel prices to 1.49% from 1.41%. The inflation rate for education remained stable at 2.84%. On a monthly scale, consumer prices in October decreased by 0.2%, following a 0.3% increase observed in September.
