Croatia boasted the highest annual inflation rate in the euro area in December 2024, at 4.5%, according to flash estimates from Eurostat.
This was up from 4.0% in November, and 3.6% in October, the data showed.
Other countries to report a notably high inflation rate for the month included Belgium (4.4%), Estonia (4.1%), the Netherlands (3.9%) and Latvia (3.4%).
At the other end of the scale, Ireland reported an estimated inflation rate of 1.0% in December, with Italy (1.4%), Luxembourg (1.6%), Finland (1.7%), Lithuania (1.8%) and France (1.8%) also reporting a lower-than average rate.
Euro area #inflation expected to be 2.4% in December 2024, up from 2.2% in November. Components: services +4.0%, food, alcohol & tobacco +2.7%, other goods +0.5%, energy 0.1% – flash estimate https://t.co/PxWdwXm0bU pic.twitter.com/jhVLHXpnqE
— EU_Eurostat (@EU_Eurostat) January 7, 2025
Euro area inflation
According to the flash estimates, euro area inflation stood at 2.4% in December, up from 2.2% in November.
The services sector had the biggest influence on inflation in the period, with a rate of 4.0%, compared with 3.9% in November.
Other sectors to influence the inflation rate included food, alcohol & tobacco (2.7%, the same as in November), non-energy industrial goods (0.5%, compared to 0.6% in November) and energy (0.1%, compared to -2.0% in November). Read more here.
Annual inflation rate by euro area country (estimated), December 2024 (%)
| Country | Inflation Rate (%) |
|---|---|
| Croatia | 4.5 |
| Belgium | 4.4 |
| Estonia | 4.1 |
| Netherlands | 3.9 |
| Latvia | 3.4 |
| Cyprus | 3.1 |
| Portugal | 3.1 |
| Slovakia | 3.1 |
| Greece | 2.9 |
| Germany | 2.8 |
| Spain | 2.8 |
| Austria | 2.1 |
| Malta | 2.0 |
| Slovenia | 2.0 |
| France | 1.8 |
| Lithuania | 1.8 |
| Finland | 1.7 |
| Luxembourg | 1.6 |
| Italy | 1.4 |
| Ireland | 1.0 |
