ZAGREB, 8 Jan (Hina) - Croatia's inflation rate, measured by the Consumer Price Index, stood at 3.4% year-on-year in December 2024, marking the third consecutive month of annual acceleration, the Croatian Bureau of Statistics (DZS) reported.

DZS published its first estimate of the Consumer Price Index, according to which the inflation rate in December 2024 was 3.4% compared to December 2023. On a monthly basis, compared to November 2024, prices rose by 0.1%.

A months-long trend of slowing annual price growth came to an end in October 2024 when inflation increased by 2.2%. The acceleration continued in November, with a rise of 2.8%, and now again in December.

According to today's initial estimate, inflation for the whole of 2024 stood at 3%.

By main index components, the estimated annual inflation rate was 5.6% for services, 4.8% for food, beverages and tobacco, 1.6% for energy, and 0.7% for industrial non-food products excluding energy.

On a monthly basis, compared to November 2024, service prices rose by 0.6%, prices of food, beverages and tobacco, as well as energy, increased by 0.4%, while industrial non-food product prices fell by 0.9%.

DZS announced that final data on the Consumer Price Index for December, classified according to ECOICOP (European Classification of Individual Consumption according to Purpose), will be published on 16 January.

Eurostat: Croatia's inflation at 4.5% in December, highest in the eurozone

According to Eurostat's flash estimate published on Tuesday, Croatia's annual inflation rate in December 2024, measured by the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP), stood at 4.5%, the highest among all eurozone member states.

Across the eurozone, the average annual inflation rate in December was 2.4%. After Croatia, the highest inflation rates were recorded in Belgium (4.4%), Estonia (4.1%) and the Netherlands (3.9%).