Inflation in Bulgaria recorded a slight uptick in May 2025, reaching 2.9%. This marks a marginal increase of 0.1 percentage points compared to April. On a yearly basis, inflation rose by 0.2 percentage points, as the same indicator stood at 2.7% in May 2024.

Meanwhile, inflation across the eurozone is trending in the opposite direction. In May 2025, annual inflation there was measured at 1.9%, down from 2.2% in April. For comparison, in May last year, the eurozone’s inflation rate was 2.6%. The broader European Union followed a similar pattern, posting an annual inflation rate of 2.2% this May, a slight drop from 2.4% a month earlier. One year ago, EU inflation was at 2.7%, according to Eurostat.

Among EU member states, Cyprus reported the lowest annual inflation in May - just 0.4%. France followed with 0.6%, and Ireland posted 1.4%. On the other end of the scale, the highest inflation levels were seen in Romania (5.4%), Estonia (4.6%), and Hungary (4.5%). When compared to the previous month, annual inflation decreased in fourteen countries, stayed unchanged in one, and increased in twelve.

In terms of contributing factors within the euro area, the services sector was the main driver of annual inflation in May, adding 1.47 percentage points. Food, alcohol and tobacco products followed with a 0.62-point contribution. Non-energy industrial goods added 0.16 percentage points, while energy prices had a downward effect, subtracting 0.34 points from the total.