The European Union’s statistical office, Eurostat, announced that the annual inflation rate for the eurozone rose to 1.9 percent in February 2026 from 1.7 percent in January. This represents a month‑over‑month increase of 0.7 percent in consumer prices.
Core inflation – the measure that excludes energy, food, alcohol and tobacco – was 2.4 percent in December, up from 2.2 percent the previous month. The European Central Bank closely watches this core figure as part of its effort to maintain inflation near the 2 percent target.
Looking at the main components of price rises, services are projected to show the highest annual rate in February at 3.4 percent (versus 3.2 percent in January). This is followed by food, alcohol and tobacco at a steady 2.6 percent, non‑energy industrial goods at 0.7 percent (up from 0.4 percent), and energy prices, which fell to -3.2 percent from -4.0 percent.
Eurostat’s data on the lowest national inflation show Cyprus at 0.9 percent, followed by France at 1.1 percent and Belgium at 1.4 percent. In contrast, Slovakia recorded a higher rate of 4.0 percent. For Germany Eurostat estimates inflation at 2.0 percent using a different methodology than the German Federal Statistical Office, which reported a 1.9 percent rate last Friday.