Annual inflation in the euro area was 0.8 percent in January this year, remaining unchanged compared to December, according to a report released by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities. In January 2013, the annual inflation rate was two percent. Meanwhile, monthly inflation in the euro area was -1.1 percent in January this year.
Meanwhile, in the European Union (EU-28) annual inflation was 0.9 percent in January, down compared with December. In January 2013, the annual inflation rate in the EU-27 was 2.1 percent, while the monthly inflation was -0.9 percent in January of the current year.
In January this year, annual inflation in the EU-28 fell in 17 states, remained stable in seven and increased in four states as compared with December. The lowest annual inflation rates were observed in Cyprus (-1.6%), Greece (-1.4%) and Bulgaria (-1.3%), while the highest were observed in Finland and the UK (both 1.9%).
The lowest 12-month averages up to the end of January this year were registered in Greece (-1.0%), Latvia (0.0%) and Bulgaria and Cyprus (both 0.1%), while the highest were seen in Estonia (3.1 %), Romania (2.9%) and the UK (2.5%).