site.btaLowest Inflation Rate in EU since April 2021, Bulgaria among Three Member States where Monthly Inflation Rises January

The euro area annual inflation rate was 1.7% in January 2026, down from 2.0% in December. These figures were published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union on Wednesday. They confirm the euro area flash estimate for January 2026, published on February 4, 2026. The January inflation rate is the lowest since September 2024. A year earlier, the rate was 2.5%.

European Union annual inflation was 2.0% in January 2026, down from 2.3% in December. This is the lowest inflation rate in the EU since April 2021. A year earlier, the rate was 2.8%.

The annual inflation rate registered in January 2026 in Bulgaria was 2.3%, while a year earlier it was 3.8%. The monthly inflation rate registered in January 2026 was 0.6%.

The lowest annual rates were registered in France (0.4%), Denmark (0.6%), Finland and Italy (both 1.0%). The highest annual rates were recorded in Romania (8.5%), Slovakia (4.3%) and Estonia (3.8%). 

Compared with December 2025, annual inflation fell in twenty-three Member States, remained stable in one and rose in three.

In January 2026, the highest contribution to the annual euro area inflation rate came from services (1.45 percentage points), followed by food, alcohol & tobacco (0.51 pp), non-energy industrial goods (0.09 pp) and energy (-0.39 pp).