Eurostat announced that the annual inflation rate across the euro area modestly rose to 1.9 % in February 2026, up from 1.7 % in January. The month‑to‑month price increase stood at 0.7 %.
The core inflation figure-excluding energy, food, alcohol and tobacco-was 2.4 % in December, compared with 2.2 % in the previous month. The European Central Bank continues to focus closely on this core rate as it works to keep price growth at its 2 % target.
Looking at the main components of inflation, services are expected to have delivered the highest annual increase in February at 3.4 % (versus 3.2 % in January). Food, alcohol and tobacco followed at 2.6 %-unchanged from January. Non‑energy industrial goods rose by 0.7 % from 0.4 %, while energy prices declined by 3.2 % compared with a 4.0 % drop in January.
Eurostat’s country‑level data point to a spread of inflation rates: Cyprus recorded the lowest at 0.9 %, followed by France at 1.1 % and Belgium at 1.4 %. Slovakia experienced the highest among the listed countries, with inflation at 4.0 %. Germany’s inflation, according to Eurostat, is 2.0 %, calculated using a different methodology than the German Federal Statistical Office, which reported 1.9 % on Friday.
