Consumer prices in Spain rose at a faster rate in May, according to the national statistics agency, INE.
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation rate for May was 3.6%, up from 3.3% in April. This increase is mainly due to higher electricity prices and smaller decreases in fuel prices compared to May 2023, the statistics body said.
Core inflation, which excludes unprocessed food and energy products, saw an annual variation rate increase to 3.0%, up by one tenth from the previous month.
Retail trade index
Elsewhere, the general Retail Trade Index in Spain showed a 0.3% variation in April compared to the same month the previous year, a decrease from the 0.9% rate registered in March.
If service stations are excluded, the index showed a monthly rate of 0.8%. Food retail increased by 1.2%, while other products rose by 0.7%.
Retail sales at constant prices grew annually in April across all autonomous communities, INE noted, except for the Balearic Islands, which saw a decline of 1.3%.
Of those that showed the most growth, in Andalusia, retail sales at constant prices were up 5.7%, in the Basque Country the increase was 5.4% and in the Canary Islands, the increase was 5.2%
Employment in the retail trade sector increased by 1.8% in April compared to the same month in 2023, slightly down from the 2.2% increase recorded in March.
