Annual inflation in the euro area is estimated at 2.2% in August 2024, compared with 2.6% in July, according to a flash estimate published by the statistical office of the European Union (Eurostat) on Friday 30 August.
The highest rates were found in Belgium (4.5%), Estonia (3.4%) and the Netherlands (3.3%), while the lowest rates were recorded in Lithuania (0.7%), Latvia (0.9%), Finland and Slovenia (both 1.1%). Price rises were weak in Italy (1.3%) and moderate in Germany (2.0%), France (2.2%) and Spain (2.4%).
In terms of the main components of inflation, services are expected to record the highest annual rate in August (4.2%), followed by food, alcohol & tobacco (2.4%), non-energy industrial goods (0.4%) and energy (-3.0%).
Unemployment. In July, according to Eurostat, the euro area seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate was 6.4%, down from 6.5% in June. In the EU, it was 6.0% last month, stable compared with the rates recorded the previous month.
The statistical office estimates that 13.1 million people were unemployed in July in the EU, including 10.99 million in the euro area. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)