The annual inflation rate in the European Union continued to decrease in March, reaching 2.5% from a level of 2.7% in February, but Romania has become the country with the highest inflation, with an annual price increase of 5.1%, according to data published on Wednesday by Eurostat.
Last month, the EU member countries with the lowest annual inflation rates were France (0.9%), Denmark (1.4%), and Luxembourg (1.5%). On the other hand, the EU member countries with the highest inflation rates were Romania (5.1%), Hungary (4.8%), and Poland (4.4%).
Compared to the situation in February 2025, the annual inflation rate decreased in 16 member states, including Romania from 5.2% to 5.1%, remained stable in one country, and increased in ten member states.
In February of this year, the country with the highest inflation in the EU was Hungary, at 5.7%, followed by Romania with a price increase of 5.2%.
In the euro area, the annual inflation rate experienced a slight decrease in March, to 2.2% from 2.3% in February. The largest contribution to the annual inflation rate in the euro area came from services (1.56 percentage points), followed by food, alcohol, and tobacco (0.57 percentage points). In contrast, energy prices decreased by 0.10 percentage points.
In Romania, according to recent data published by the National Institute of Statistics (INS), the annual inflation rate dropped in March 2025 to 4.86% from 5.02% in February, with food prices rising by 5.10%, non-food items by 3.84%, and services by 6.99%.
The National Bank of Romania (BNR) revised upward its inflation forecast for the end of 2025 to 3.8% from the previous 3.5% and anticipates it will reach 3.1% by the end of 2026, according to data presented in February by BNR Governor Mugur Isărescu.