FX.co ★ Malta Inflation Rate Edges Higher

Malta experienced a slight increase in its annual inflation rate, reaching 2.1% in March 2025, compared to 2% in February. This represents the highest rate since November 2024. The acceleration was primarily driven by faster price increases in several sectors, including food and non-alcoholic beverages, which rose by 3.2% up from 2.6% in February; transportation costs, escalating from 2.6% to 3.2%; and significant price hikes in clothing and footwear, which surged to 1.8% from just 0.2%. The education sector saw an increase to 5.2% from 4.8%, while miscellaneous goods and services climbed to 3.8% from 3.6%. Conversely, there was a deceleration in price hikes for alcoholic beverages and tobacco, decreasing to 1.7% from 2%, and in recreation and culture, which eased to 2% from 2.3%. The restaurant and hotel sector also experienced a slowdown, with prices dropping to 2.4% from 2.9%. Prices related to housing and utilities remained stable at 0.7%, as did those for furnishings, household equipment, and routine maintenance, holding at 0.5%. On a month-to-month basis, consumer prices increased by 1.1% in March 2025, up from 0.4% in the previous month, marking the highest monthly increase since June 2024.