Malta’s inflation for January stood at 3.3 per cent, down from four per cent registered a month earlier, figures released yesterday show.

The rate moved in the opposite direction of the euro area, which saw prices increase marginally by 0.1 per cent over the 2.2 per cent inflation registered at the end of 2010, according to Eurostat.

Despite the decline, probably impacted by the January sales, Malta’s inflation rate was still among the highest among the 17-member eurozone. On a 12-month average basis, Malta’s inflation rate in January stood at 2.2 per cent, while the eurozone average stood at 1.7 per cent.

Giving details of the changes in inflation registered across the 27 member states, Eurostat yesterday said the lowest annual rates in January were observed in Ireland (0.2 per cent) and Sweden (1.4 per cent), and the highest in Romania (7 per cent), Estonia (5.1 per cent) and Greece (4.9 per cent).

Compared with December 2010, annual inflation rose in 15 states and fell in 12 ­­countries.

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