Annual inflation in the euro area was 1.4 percent in May this year, down from 1.9 percent in April, according to a report released by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities. In May last year, the annual inflation rate was -0.1 percent.
Meanwhile, in the European Union (EU-28) annual inflation was 1.6 percent in May, down from 2.0 percent in April. In May 2016, the annual inflation rate in the EU-28 was -0.1 percent.
The lowest inflation rates were observed in Ireland (0.0%), Romania (0.5%) and Denmark and the Netherlands (both 0.7%), whereas the highest annual rates were recorded in Estonia (3.5%), Lithuania (3.2%) and the United Kingdom (2.9%). Compared with March, annual inflation fell in 24 member states, remained stable in one state and rose in three.