France saw consumer prices rise by 0.8% in December 2025, compared to the same period a year earlier, new estimates from Insee, the French statistics body, have shown.
This was slightly lower than the 0.9% year-on-year price increase reported in November, with the slight moderation in inflation reflecting a ‘more pronounced decrease’ in energy prices, specifically related to petroleum.
According to the estimates, food prices rose by 1.7% in December, year-on-year, compared with a 1.4% increase in November, with the price of fresh produce declining, albeit at a slower pace than in November.
Other food products reported a 2.0% year-on-year price increase in December (compared with a 1.9% increase in November), while tobacco was up 4.1% (the same as the previous month.
Energy prices decline
Energy prices fell by 6.8% in December, following a 4.6% year-on-year decline in November – this compares to a 1.2% year-on-year increase in December 2024.
Lastly, manufactured products were 0.4% lower, following a 0.6% decline in November, and services were 2.2% higher, following a 2.2% increase the previous month.
‘On a monthly basis, consumer prices should rebound slightly by 0.1% in December 2025, after ‑0.2% in November,’ Insee said of the latest estimates. ‘The increase in prices should be attributed to the seasonal rebound in prices of services, particularly in those of transport, and, to a lesser extent, to the slight rise in food prices. Conversely, the price of energy should fall, as those of manufactured products. Tobacco prices should remain stable.’
On a year-on-year basis, the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices, which is used for comparisons across European Union member states, increased by 0.7% year on year in December, following a 0.8% increase in November. On a monthly basis, the HICP rose by 0.1%, following a 0.2% decline the previous month.
From January 2026, Insee’s consumer price index will change its base year to 2025, in accordance with European regulations, alongside updates to the household consumption classification system, it noted. Read more here.
