Annual inflation in the euro area was 1.5 percent in August this year, up from 1.3 percent in July, according to a report released by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities. In August last year, the annual inflation rate was 0.2 percent.
Meanwhile, in the European Union (EU-28) annual inflation was 1.7 percent in August, up from 1.5 percent in July. In August 2016, the annual inflation rate in the EU-28 was 0.3 percent.
The lowest inflation rates in August this year were observed in Ireland (0.4%), Cyprus (0.5%) and Greece and Romania (both 0.6%), whereas the highest annual rates were recorded in Lithuania (4.6%), Estonia (4.2%), and Latvia (3.2%). Compared with July, annual inflation rose in 20 member states, remained stable in five states and fell in three.