Inflation in July 4.1 percent, rising for the third consecutive month

Consumer prices in Croatia were in July 4.1 percent higher compared to the same month last year, the Croatian Bureau of Statistics (DZS) announced on Thursday, marking the third consecutive month of accelerating inflation on an annual basis.

The DZS published the second estimate of the consumer price index, according to which the inflation rate in July was 4.1 percent compared to July 2024, while consumer prices increased by 0.4 percent compared to the previous month, that is, June of this year.

Thus, the DZS confirmed the first estimate, published on August 1, regarding the movement of inflation on an annual and monthly basis.

After being 4 percent in January, 3.7 in February, and 3.2 percent in both March and April, inflation accelerated its annual growth to 3.5 percent in May, 3.7 percent in June, and the acceleration continued in July.

Prices of restaurants and hotels increased by 7.6 percent on an annual basis

When observed by the main groups of the ECOICOP classification, the highest average increase in consumer prices on an annual basis was recorded in the category of restaurants and hotels, at 7.6 percent. This was followed by food and non-alcoholic beverages, with an increase of 6.9 percent, various goods and services, at 6.1 percent, housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels, at 6 percent, education, at 5.9 percent, alcoholic beverages and tobacco, at 5.5 percent, health, at 5.3 percent, and recreation and culture, at 5.2 percent.

A decline was recorded on an annual basis in clothing and footwear, by 1.9 percent, transport by 0.9 percent, and communications, by 0.6 percent.

According to the main components of the index (special aggregates), the increase in prices on an annual basis was achieved in the components of food, beverages, and tobacco, by 6.6 percent, services, by 5.7 percent, energy, by 2.4 percent, and industrial non-food products excluding energy, by 0.4 percent.

On a monthly basis, alcoholic beverages and tobacco saw the highest increase, by 3.8 percent

On a monthly basis, the DZS statistics showed that the highest average price increases were in the groups of alcoholic beverages and tobacco, by 3.8 percent, restaurants and hotels, by 2.9 percent, recreation and culture, by 2.1 percent, transport, by 1.3 percent, food and non-alcoholic beverages, by 1.2 percent, household goods, household equipment, and regular household maintenance, by 1 percent, various goods and services, by 0.6 percent, housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels, by 0.4 percent, and health, by 0.2 percent.

Prices in the clothing and footwear group fell by 11.7 percent.

According to the main components of the index, the increase in prices on a monthly basis was achieved in the components of food, beverages, and tobacco, by 1.6 percent, energy, by 1.4 percent, and services, by 1.1 percent, while a price decline was present in the component of industrial non-food products excluding energy, by 2.4 percent.

HIPC – annual inflation at 4.5 percent

The DZS in its press release on the consumer price index also presents data on inflation measured by the harmonized index of consumer prices (HIPC), which is a comparable measure of inflation with European Union countries.

According to this data, the prices of goods and services for personal consumption, measured by the harmonized index of consumer prices, in July 2025 compared to July 2024 (on an annual basis) were on average 4.5 percent higher, while compared to June of this year, they were on average 1.2 percent higher.