Inflation Rate in Italy Still High
Primarily driven by rising energy prices across the economy, the inflation rate in March increased from 1.6 percent in February, while the month-on-month increase was 0.3 percent.
The 1.9-percent year-on-year inflation was the highest rate since a 5.3 percent spike in September 2023. The earlier surge followed more than a year of sharp price increases, largely sparked by the Russia-Ukraine conflict. In response, the Italian government launched an experimental three-month "anti-inflation quarter" in October 2023, temporarily capping prices on an array of key consumer goods.
By November, the year-on-year inflation rate had eased to 1.7 percent and remained below 2.0 percent since then, though it has shown a gradual upward trend in recent months.
In March, ISTAT said the main contributor to price increases was the cost of unregulated energy goods, which rose by 0.7 percent, reversing a 1.9 percent decline recorded in February.
Other sectors also posted price increases in March. Tobacco prices went up by 4.6 percent compared to 4.1 percent in February, and unprocessed food rose 3.3 percent compared to 2.9 percent a month earlier.
Core inflation, which excludes energy and fresh food prices, remained at 1.7 percent in March, unchanged from February.
By the end of the first quarter of 2025, the accumulated inflation rate stood at 1.3 percent, while core inflation for the same period was 1.0 percent.
Despite the recent upward trend, Italy's inflation rate remains below the European Union (EU) average. In March, the EU's inflation rate was 2.2 percent, slightly down from 2.3 percent in February.
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