Stats: Inflation at 3.7 percent in April, Lowest This Year

Bratislava, May 14 (TASR) - Consumer prices of goods and services rose by 0.1 percent month-on-month (m-o-m) and by 3.7 percent year-on-year (y-o-y) in April 2025, the lowest figures recorded so far this year, down from 4 percent in March and 3.8 percent in February, the Statistics Office reported on Wednesday. Prices were higher than the year before in 11 of the 12 sectors, but a slowdown in price growth in five sectors was a positive aspect. Price increases ranged from 1.9 percent in the health-care sector to 10.2 percent in education. Only goods and services in the transport sector recorded a y-o-y price decrease - of 1.6 percent. A significant impact on the y-o-y increase in prices came from the restaurants and hotels sector, in which prices rose by 8.9 percent. In the sector with the biggest impact, housing and energy, prices were 2.5 percent higher y-o-y. In the food and non-alcoholic beverages sector, prices were 3.6 percent higher than in April 2024 to reach the highest figure this year. Consumers paid more in six out of nine food categories, in particular in oils and fats, which rose by 16.1 percent. Other price increase were: milk, cheese and eggs - 7.6 percent, fruit - 7 percent, and bread and cereals - 1.6 percent. Conversely, meat, vegetables, and fish were 2 percent cheaper. The impact of price increases for non-alcoholic beverages at the start of the year continued, with prices up by 15.4 percent y-o-y in April. For the first time this year, y-o-y price decreases were reported in the transport sector. In addition to persistently lower fuel prices, which dropped by 9.3 percent, there was also a decline in the prices of motor vehicle purchases - by 2.1 percent. In April, consumer prices increased in eight out of the 12 sectors m-o-m, ranging from 0.1 percent in education to 0.7 percent in clothing and footwear. At the same time, prices went down in three sectors: alcoholic beverages and tobacco - 1.3 percent, transport - 0.3 percent, and furniture and household equipment - 0.3 percent. The strongest impact on the m-o-m increase in prices came from the most significant sector, housing and energy, in which prices rose by 0.2 percent. lin/df