Preliminary data from Eurostat indicates that Bulgaria’s preliminary annual inflation rate reached 6.2% in April 2026, marking the highest rate among Euro area countries. Concurrently, overall Eurozone inflation is projected to increase for the fourth consecutive month, reaching 3.0% in April, up from 2.6% in March. Among the member states, the highest annual rates following Bulgaria were reported in Lithuania (4.9%), Greece (4.6%), Belgium (4.3%), and Slovakia (4.0%).
Conversely, Finland (2.3%), Malta (2.4%), the Netherlands, and France all recorded rates near 2.5%. Analyzing the main drivers of Eurozone inflation, energy is expected to show the largest annual increase in April, rising to 10.9% from 5.1% in March. Other components include services (3.0% compared to 3.2% in March), food, alcohol, and tobacco (2.5% versus 2.4%), and non-energy industrial goods (0.8% versus 0.7%).
Separately, Bulgaria’s National Statistical Institute (NSI) reported in its flash estimate that monthly inflation via the Consumer Price Index (CPI) is anticipated to hit 2.0%, while the annual rate for April 2026 is estimated at 7.1%. These flash estimates offer preliminary insights into price dynamics, allowing direct comparison with the 20 Euro area countries following Bulgaria’s accession to the monetary union on January 1, 2026. It is noted that NSI data utilizes CPI measurements, while Eurostat figures are based on the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices.
Topics: #inflation #annual #april
