The euro area annual inflation rate was 5 per cent in December 2021, up from 4.9 per cent in November. A year earlier, it was minus 0.3 per cent. Annual inflation in the European Union (EU) was 5.3 per cent in December, up from 5.2 per cent in November. A year earlier, it was 0.3 per cent, according to figures published by Eurostat, the EU statistical office.

The lowest annual rates were registered in Malta (2.6 per cent), Portugal (2.8 per cent) and Finland (3.2 per cent). The highest annual rates were recorded in Estonia (12 per cent), Lithuania (10.7 per cent) and Poland (8 per cent).

Compared with November, annual inflation fell in seven member states, remained stable in two and rose in eighteen, according to an official release.

The euro area annual inflation rate was 5 per cent in December 2021, up from 4.9 per cent in November. A year earlier, it was minus 0.3 per cent.Annual inflation in the European Union (EU) was 5.3 per cent in December, up from 5.2 per cent in November. A year earlier, it was 0.3 per cent, according to figures published by Eurostat, the EU statistical office.

In December, the highest contribution to the annual euro area inflation rate came from energy (+2.46 percentage points, pp), followed by services (+1.02 pp), non-energy industrial goods (+0.78 pp) and food, alcohol and tobacco (+0.71 pp).

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)