Preliminary data from Eurostat indicated that the annual inflation rate in Bulgaria reached 6.2% in April 2026, marking the highest rate among Euro area nations. Concurrently, overall Eurozone inflation is projected to rise for the fourth consecutive month, reaching 3.0% in April from 2.6% in March. Among the Euro area countries, following Bulgaria’s accession on January 1, 2026, Lithuania reported the highest rates at 4.9%, followed by Greece (4.6%), Belgium (4.3%), and Slovakia (4.0%).
Conversely, Finland (2.3%), Malta (2.4%), the Netherlands, and France all reported lower rates of 2.5%. Analyzing the main drivers of Eurozone inflation, energy is expected to show the largest annual increase in April at 10.9%, up from 5.1% in March. Services are projected to increase by 3.0% (versus 3.2% in March), while food, alcohol, and tobacco rose by 2.5% (compared to 2.4%), and non-energy industrial goods increased by 0.8% (from 0.7%).
Separately, Bulgaria’s National Statistical Institute (NSI) reported a flash estimate on Wednesday, projecting monthly inflation at 2.0% and the annual inflation rate at 7.1% for April 2026. This early indicator allows for direct comparison with the other 20 Euro area countries after Bulgaria joined the monetary union. It is noted that Eurostat utilizes the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices, while NSI data is based on the CPI measurement.
Topics: #inflation #annual #april
