Euro area inflation · Flash estimate · August 2026
What the first August inflation figures show
Headline inflation rose, but the move was concentrated. Energy accelerated sharply, while services cooled and food inflation remained subdued.
Published 1 September 2026 · Coverage: 21 euro-area countries · Eurostat flash estimate
The broad picture
A higher headline, driven mainly by energy.
Euro-area inflation increased to 3.3% in August from 2.9% in July. The rise was not shared evenly across components: energy climbed to 14.3%, while services eased to 3.0%, food was unchanged at 1.2%, and the narrow core measure edged down to 2.4%.
Annual HICP inflation
Rates ranged from 5.8% in Lithuania to 1.3% in Estonia. Cyprus and Bulgaria also stood above 5%, while nine countries recorded rates below the euro-area aggregate.
Energy inflation
Energy produced the clearest upward pressure. Lithuania reached 26.9%, Belgium 21.8%, and Bulgaria 18.7%. Malta was the only country with a zero rate.
Services inflation
The euro-area rate eased to 3.0%, but dispersion remained wide. Cyprus and Bulgaria exceeded 7%, while Finland and Estonia were below 2%.
Non-energy industrial goods
Goods inflation remained modest at the aggregate level. Slovakia led at 2.4%, while Croatia and Cyprus recorded declines of 1.1% and 2.3% respectively.
Core inflation
Excluding energy, food, alcohol and tobacco, the euro-area rate was 2.4%. Cyprus recorded 4.5%; Bulgaria and Lithuania followed at 4.2%, while Estonia stood at 0.9%.
All items excluding energy
Removing energy leaves the euro-area rate unchanged from July at 2.2%. Cyprus was the highest at 4.2%, while Estonia was distinctly lower at 0.4%.
Excluding energy and unprocessed food
This broader measure of underlying inflation stood at 2.1% for the euro area. Cyprus remained the highest at 4.2%; Estonia was the only country below 1%.
Food, alcohol and tobacco
The euro-area rate remained at 1.2%. Cyprus and Luxembourg reached 3.2%, while Latvia, Slovakia, Estonia and the Netherlands recorded falling prices.
Processed food, alcohol and tobacco
Processed food inflation was low at 0.6% for the euro area. Luxembourg stood out at 3.4%, while five countries registered outright price declines.
Unprocessed food
This was the most uneven food category. Cyprus and France were near 5%, while Estonia fell 5.8% and Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia also recorded sharp declines.
Reading the first estimate
August brought a sharper headline, not a uniform acceleration.
The aggregate rise was concentrated in energy. Services and the narrow core measure both eased, and food inflation stayed low. At the same time, the country charts show that inflation conditions continued to differ substantially across the monetary union.
- Annual HICP rates compare August 2026 with August 2025.
- August figures are Eurostat flash estimates.
- Country coverage is EA21, including Bulgaria from 2026.
- The complete August dataset is due on 17 September 2026.