The inflation rate in Croatia measured by the consumer price index in December last year was 4.5 percent year-on-year, while inflation for the entire 2023 was eight percent, according to the second estimate by the Croatian Bureau of Statistics (DZS), published on Tuesday.
Thus, the DZS confirmed the first estimate of the consumer price index, published at the beginning of January. Compared to the previous month, that is, November 2023, inflation in December was lower by 0.5 percent.
This is a slight slowdown in the growth of consumer prices on a year-on-year basis, considering that in November 2023 inflation was 4.7 percent. The rate of 4.5 percent is the lowest inflation rate since October 2021, when it was 3.8 percent.
Observed by the main components of the index, the estimated annual inflation rate for the group including food, beverages, and tobacco, as well as in the services segment, was 6.3 percent, for industrial non-food products excluding energy 3.9 percent, while energy recorded a decline of 0.6 percent, as stated in the DZS statement.
On a monthly basis, compared to November 2023, in the components of food, beverages, and tobacco, as well as in services, prices increased by 0.1 percent each. At the same time, according to the first estimate, energy prices fell by 1.7 percent, and industrial non-food products excluding energy by 1.2 percent.
The annual inflation rate in December measured by the harmonized consumer price index (HICP), which is used to compare inflation among EU members, in Croatia last month was 5.4 percent, while the average inflation for the entire year was 8.4 percent.
