Euro area inflation rises to 3% in April on energy price surge

Euro area annual inflation rose to 3% in April, up from 2.6% in March, as energy costs accelerated sharply amid the ongoing Iran war, according to a flash estimate released Thursday by Eurostat.

Energy prices posted the highest annual rate among the main components of inflation, jumping 10.9% in April from 5.1% in March. On a monthly basis, energy prices rose 3%, while overall consumer prices increased by an estimated 1%.

The latest figures showed that the energy shock remained the main driver of renewed price pressures in the 20-member currency bloc, as the conflict in the Middle East continued to disrupt oil and gas flows and keep fuel costs elevated.

Services inflation eased to 3% in April from 3.2% in March, while food, alcohol and tobacco prices rose 2.5% year-on-year, slightly up from 2.4%.

Non-energy industrial goods inflation also accelerated to 0.8% from 0.5%.

Core inflation, excluding energy, food, alcohol and tobacco, slowed to 2.2% from 2.3%, suggesting that the latest pickup was concentrated mainly in energy rather than broader underlying price pressures.

Among member states, Bulgaria recorded the highest annual inflation rate at 6.2%, followed by Croatia at 5.4%, Luxembourg at 5.2%, and Lithuania at 4.9%.

The lowest annual inflation rates were seen in Finland at 2.3%, Malta at 2.4%, and the Netherlands and France both at 2.5%.