Annual inflation in the euro area was 1.4 percent in January this year, down from 1.5 percent in December, according to a report released by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities. In January 2018, the annual inflation rate was 1.3 percent.
Meanwhile, in the European Union (EU-28) annual inflation was 1.5 percent in January, down from 1.6 percent in December. In January 2018, the annual inflation rate in the EU-28 was 1.6 percent.
The lowest inflation rates in January this year were observed in Greece (0.5%) and Crotia and Portugal (both 0.6%), whereas the highest annual rates were recorded in Romania (3.2%), Latvia (2.9%), and Estonia and Hungary (both 2.8%). Compared with December, in January annual inflation fell in 16 member states, remained stable in five and rose in seven.