High inflation in March

Malta registered a high inflation rate last month when compared to the EU average.

According to figures published by Eurostat, the EU's statistical arm, Malta registered an annual inflation rate of 2.6 per cent, 0.5 per cent higher than the average rate in the EU.

Malta's inflation rate in March was 0.5 percentage points higher than that registered a year before. Compared to February 2005 it increased slightly by 0.1 per cent.

According to Eurostat, the EU25 annual inflation was 2.1 per cent in March, the same as in February. A year earlier the rate was 1.7 per cent. Monthly inflation was 0.6 per cent last month.

The lowest annual rates were observed in Sweden (0.5 per cent), Finland (0.9 per cent), the Czech Republic (1.2 per cent) and Denmark (1.3 per cent). The highest were recorded in Latvia (6.6 per cent), Estonia (4.8 per cent), Luxembourg (3.5 per cent) and Spain (3.4 per cent). Compared with February, the annual inflation rose in 13 member states, fell in nine and remained stable in two.

The lowest 12-month averages up to March were in Finland (0.1 per cent), Denmark (one per cent), Sweden (1.1 per cent) and the Netherlands (1.4 per cent); the highest were in Latvia (6.8 per cent), Hungary and Slovakia (both 5.9 per cent), Poland and Estonia (both four per cent).