In January, Croatia experienced a notable rise in consumer price inflation for the fourth consecutive month, reaching the highest level observed in ten months, as reported by the statistical office's preliminary data on Monday.
The consumer price index (CPI) experienced a 4.0 percent increase compared to the same month the previous year, up from a 3.4 percent rise recorded in December. This marks the strongest inflation rate since March 2024, when it was at 4.1 percent.
Month-on-month, the CPI edged up slightly by 0.1 percent from December.
Breaking down the data, services costs spiked by 6.3 percent. The prices within the food, beverages, and tobacco categories increased by 4.7 percent. Energy prices saw a 4.5 percent rise, while the non-food category, excluding energy, experienced a modest 0.5 percent uptick.
Using the harmonized index of consumer prices, a measure aligned with EU standards, inflation climbed to 5.0 percent in January, up from 4.5 percent in December. The EU-standard measure recorded a 0.2 percent increase from the previous month.
