ZAGREB, 17 June (Hina) – The annual inflation rate in Croatia slipped to 3.3% in May from 3.7% in April, the national statistical office said on Monday, confirming its estimates from late May.
The monthly increase of the prices of goods and services for personal consumption, as measured by the consumer price index, was 0.1%.
After months of gradual decrease, annual inflation was stable at 4.1% in March, but has been decreasing again since.
In May, inflation was at its lowest since September 2021, when it was also 3.3%.
Observing the main divisions of the ECOICOP classification, at the annual level, the highest increases in consumer prices were recorded in restaurants and hotels (+10.7%) and transport (+5.9%).
The prices of alcoholic beverages and tobacco as well as education increased by 5.4% in each division, while health prices increased 5.3%.
Recreation and culture prices went up by 3.8%, communication prices by 3.2%, the prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages by 2.8%, and the prices of furnishings, household equipment and routine household maintenance by 2.4%.
In May, month on month, prices in restaurants and hotels increased the most (+1.1%), those of furnishings, household equipment and routine household maintenance increased by 0.5%, those of clothing and shoes by 0.3%, and those of food and non-alcoholic beverages by 0.2%.
On the other hand, transport prices dropped monthly by 0.7% and those of housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels by 0.4%.
Croatia’s annual inflation as measured by the harmonised index of consumer prices, as recently published by Eurostat, slipped to 4.3% in May from 4.7% in April.
Croatia’s inflation in May was the highest in the euro area after Belgium’s 4.9%. The average inflation in the euro area in May rose to 2.6% from 2.4% in April.