The annual inflation rate in the euro area is estimated at 7.5% in April and growth rose by 0.2% in the euro area in the first quarter of 2022, according to data presented by the Statistical Office of the European Union (Eurostat) on Friday 29 April.
Inflation was highest in Estonia (19.0%), Lithuania (16.6%), Latvia (13.2%) and the Netherlands (11.2%). It was lowest in Malta (49%), France (5.3%) and Finland (5.6%). It was 6.6% in Italy, 7.8% in Germany and 8.3% in Spain.
Prices rose by 7.4% in March.
Among the main components of euro area inflation, energy is expected to have the highest annual rate in April (38.0%, compared with 44.4% in March), followed by food, alcohol & tobacco (6.4%, compared with 5.0% in March), non-energy industrial goods (3.8%, compared with 3.4% in March) and services (3.3%, compared with 2.7% in March).
Growth. In the first quarter of 2022, seasonally adjusted GDP increased by 0.2% in the euro area (0.3% in the fourth quarter of 2021) and by 0.4% in the EU (0.5%), compared with the previous quarter. These flash estimates are based on incomplete data, Eurostat points out.
Among the eleven Member States for which data are available, Portugal (+2.6%) recorded the highest increase compared with the previous quarter, followed by Austria (+2.5%) and Latvia (+2.1%). Declines were recorded in Sweden (-0.4%) and Italy (-0.2%). In France, growth was zero, in Germany it was 0.2% and in Spain 0.3%. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)