Stats: Inflation Highest in 17 Months, Exceeded 4 percent in May

Bratislava, June 13 (TASR) - Consumer prices of goods and services increased by 0.5 percent month-on-month (m-o-m) in May 2025, the second-fastest growth posted so far this year, the Statistics Office reported on Friday. Year-on-year (y-o-y) inflation amounted to 4.1 percent in May, the highest figure seen since December 2023. The m-o-m price growth was mainly driven by more expensive food and soft beverages, as well as alcohol. Conversely, a dampening effect was mainly produced by a decrease in fuel prices in the sector of transport. Prices posted y-o-y growth in all 12 main categories of the consumer basket in May, ranging from 2.8 percent in housing (including energy) to 10.2 percent in education. Growth of 8.8 percent in the prices of hotels and restaurants had a significant impact on inflation, with catering services 9 percent more expensive than the year before. Overall inflation was also affected by a 6.5-percent increase in the category of miscellaneous goods and services and 5-percent growth in the prices of recreation and culture, mainly due to higher prices for organised holidays (up 7.8 percent). Food and non-alcoholic beverages posted the most-rapid price growth so far this year, going up 3.9 percent in May. Prices grew in five of the nine monitored food categories, with the fastest growth posted for oils and fats (21.7 percent) and fruit (11 percent). Price increases of below 7 percent were reported for milk, cheese, eggs, bread, sugar and confectionery. Conversely, prices of meat went down by 2 percent, those of vegetables by 1.2 percent, various snacks by 1.4 percent and fish by 0.2 percent. Following a drop in April, prices in the sector of transport posted y-o-y growth of 0.1 percent in May. Although fuels were 8 percent cheaper than the year before, this positive influence was overshadowed by double-digit increases in the prices of transport services. In particular, prices in road passenger transport grew by almost 20 percent and those in rail passenger transport by nearly 12 percent. ko/df