Consumer prices in France were 1.0% higher in February 2026 than in the corresponding month a year earlier, according to new data from Insee, the French statistics agency.
This compares with a 0.3% year-on-year increase in January 2026, the preliminary data showed.
The increase in annual inflation was driven by a ‘less pronounced decline in the price of energy’, Insee noted, of -3.0%, driven by a base effect on electricity prices which fell sharply in February 2025.
Food prices (+2.1%) accelerated year-on-year, as did those of services (1.8%) and tobacco (3.0%).
Month-on-month increase
On a month-on-month basis, i.e. compared to January 2026, consumer prices rose by 0.7%, compared to a 0.3% decline the previous month.
This increase in prices was driven by a ‘rise in services prices, driven by a seasonal rebound in transport services’, Insee noted, as well as due to a seasonal increase in the price of manufactured products.
Food prices also increased slightly, month-on-month, as did those of energy and tobacco.
The Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices, which enables comparisons across EU member states, saw a year-on-year increase of 1.1% in February 2026, after a 0.4% rise in January. On a month-on-month basis, the harmonised index rose by 0.8%, following a 0.4% decline in the previous month.
Final results for February 2026 will be published on 13 March, with the next scheduled publication (including provisional results for March 2026) set for 31 March.
Payroll employment
Separate data from Insee found that in the fourth quarter of last year, overall payroll employment was largely unchanged in France, with a decline of 0.1% (-40,100 jobs), following on from a near-stable third quarter.
Compared to the corresponding period a year earlier, employment fell by 0.2% (-45,900 jobs) but remained 4.9% above pre-pandemic levels, Insee noted. Read more here and here.
