Inflation across the European Union registered a slight acceleration in July, with consumer prices rising by 2.4% year-on-year, an increase of 0.1 percentage points compared to June, according to the latest Eurostat data released today. In the euro area, inflation held steady at 2% for the second month in a row. A year earlier, in July 2024, inflation was higher – 2.8% in the EU and 2.6% in the eurozone.

The July figures show significant disparities among member states. Romania recorded the highest annual growth in consumer prices at 6.6%, followed by Estonia at 5.6% and Slovakia at 4.6%. At the other end of the scale, Cyprus posted the lowest inflation rate at just 0.1%, while France and Ireland registered 0.9% and 1.6% respectively.

Bulgaria also saw a continued upward trend. Inflation rose to 3.4% in July compared to the same month last year, up from 3.1% in June. On a monthly basis, prices climbed by 1.4% in July, a sharp rise from the 0.4% recorded the month before. This marks the fourth straight month of annual inflation growth in the country, following rates of 2.8% in April, 2.9% in May, and 3.1% in June.

Data from Bulgaria’s National Statistical Institute provide a slightly different perspective through the Consumer Price Index (CPI). According to the NSI, annual inflation in July stood at 5.3%, with a monthly increase of 1.7%.

Across the EU, compared to June 2025, annual inflation declined in eight member states, remained stable in six, and rose in thirteen. In terms of sectoral contributions within the euro area, services accounted for the largest share of July’s price growth, adding 1.46 percentage points. Food, alcohol, and tobacco contributed 0.63 percentage points, while non-energy industrial goods added 0.18 percentage points.

On a month-to-month basis, overall consumer prices in the EU rose by 0.1% in July, while in the eurozone they remained flat. Denmark recorded the sharpest monthly increase at 1.7%, with Bulgaria and Romania following closely at 1.4% and 1.3% respectively.

Source: Eurostat