Germany’s Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) has confirmed an inflation rate of 2.2 percent for August, a slight increase from the 2.0 percent recorded in both July and June.
Ruth Brand, President of Destatis, stated on Friday, “The inflation rate has risen slightly for the first time this year”. She highlighted an acceleration in food price increases during August, while noting that the decline in energy prices had a less significant dampening effect on inflation compared to previous months.
Consumer prices rose by 0.1 percent compared to July. Energy product prices, however, were 2.4 percent lower than in the same month of the previous year. This price decrease has been weakening for the fourth consecutive month and was considerably less pronounced than in July (-3.4 percent). Over the year, prices for both fuels (-2.5 percent) and household energy (-2.3 percent) also declined.
Consumers continued to benefit from lower prices for light heating oil (-5.2 percent) and for firewood, wood pellets, or other fuels (-3.5 percent). Electricity (-1.7 percent) and district heating (-1.6 percent) also became cheaper compared to the previous year. Conversely, natural gas prices were slightly more expensive than a year earlier (+0.7 percent).
Food prices were 2.5 percent higher in August compared to the previous year, exceeding the overall rate of inflation. In July, the increase in food prices was slightly lower at +2.2 percent. From August 2024 to August 2025, fruits (+7.1 percent) and sugar, jams, honey and other confectionery (+6.9 percent) experienced particularly significant price increases. Price rises were also notable for dairy products and eggs (+3.2 percent) and meat and meat products (+2.9 percent).
Conversely, cooking fats and cooking oils (-1.3 percent) and vegetables (-1.1 percent) were cheaper than a year earlier. Isolated price increases were counterbalanced by noticeable price decreases, such as in the case of olive oil (-22.6 percent).
The inflation rate excluding food and energy, often referred to as core inflation, remained at 2.7 percent in both August and the two preceding months.
