Overview
- Consumer prices rose 0.1% between April and May, keeping the annual inflation rate steady at 2.1%.
- Energy expenses were 4.6% lower than a year earlier, with cheaper fuel and heating helping to damp overall price growth.
- Food prices climbed 2.8% year-on-year, driven by steep increases in butter (17.6%) and chocolate (20.2%), even as items like sugar became markedly cheaper.
- Service-sector inflation remained high at 3.4%, fueled by rising labor costs and significant jumps in transportation services (11.4%) and insurance premiums (9.4%).
- Core inflation excluding energy and food held at 2.8%, and forecasters from the Bundesbank and Ifo-Institut expect headline rates to remain just above 2% through late 2025 before edging toward target levels.