site.btaAnnual Inflation Rate in January Reaches 3.7%

Preliminary data from the National Statistical Institute (NSI), released on Friday show that in January 2025, the monthly inflation measured by the consumer price index (CPI) was 2%, and the annual inflation for January 2025 compared to January 2024 was 3.7%. The average annual inflation for the period February 2024 - January 2025 compared to the period February 2023 - January 2024 was 2.4%.

In January 2025, the monthly inflation measured by the harmonized index of consumer prices (HICP) was 1.8%, and the annual inflation for January 2025 compared to January 2024 was 3.8%. The average annual inflation for the period of February 2024 - January 2025 compared to the period of February 2023 - January 2024 was 2.6%. HICP is a comparable measure of inflation in EU countries and is one of the criteria for price stability and for Bulgaria's accession to the eurozone, which stipulates that the rate of inflation cannot exceed by more than 1.5 percentage points the rate of inflation in the three best-performing member states.

For the twentieth month in a row, annual inflation (CPI) in Bulgaria has been in single digits with a decreasing trend, according to a report in the National Statistical Institute. In June 2023, it went down to single digits (8.7%) - for the first time since January 2022, when it was 9.1%. The peak of inflation in the country was in September 2022, when on an annual basis it reached 18.7% (CPI).

In January 2025, prices of goods and services increased in the following consumer groups: housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels (by 4.6%); food products and non-alcoholic beverages (by 2.5%); communications (by 2.4%); restaurants and hotels (by 2.2%); transport (by 1.9%); alcoholic beverages and tobacco products (an increase of 1.7%); entertainment and culture (by 1.7%); healthcare (by 1.3%); miscellaneous goods and services (by 1.1%); education (by 0.7%); home furnishings, household goods and services (an increase of 0.6%).

Prices of goods and services in the clothing and footwear group decreased by 4.3%.