Euro area annual inflation up to 7.5%--Eurostat
The energy price hike has been cited by experts as the main reason behind the overall increase in consumer prices across euro area countries.
Euro area annual inflation is expected to be 7.5% in March 2022, up from 5.9% in February according to a flash estimate from Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union.
“Looking at the main components of euro area inflation, energy is expected to have the highest annual rate in March (44.7%, compared with 32.0% in February), followed by food, alcohol & tobacco (5.0%, compared with 4.2% in February), non-energy industrial goods (3.4%, compared with 3.1% in February) and services (2.7%, compared with 2.5% in February),” Eurostat said.
The euro area consists of Belgium, Germany, Estonia, Ireland, Greece, Spain, France, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Austria, Portugal, Slovenia, Slovakia, and Finland. (ILKHA)