Press release No. N 032 of 25 May 2022
- Two-digit inflation rates for food in many eastern and southern EU countries
- Above-average prices for many basic foodstuffs
- Proportion of food expenditure in most EU countries significantly higher than in Germany
WIESBADEN – Consumers in the eastern European countries have been hit hardest by the recent strong increase in food prices in the European Union (EU). Based on information released by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Union, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) reports that food prices in Lithuania rose by 22.1% in April 2022 compared with the same month a year earlier. In Bulgaria, consumers had to spend 21.0% more on food, in Latvia food was 17.7% more expensive. Substantial increases in food prices of more than 14% were also observed in Hungary, Estonia, Romania and Slovakia in April 2022 compared with April 2021. In Germany, prices rose by 8.5%, which was below the EU average of 8.9%. The lowest rates of increase in food prices in the EU were observed in Ireland (+3.6%) and France (+4.3%) in April 2022. The comparison is based on the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP), which is calculated for European purposes.
