Consumer prices in the Czech Republic rose by 1.3% in January compared to the previous month, mainly due to higher prices for food, non-alcoholic beverages, alcoholic beverages, and tobacco products. Year-on-year, consumer prices increased by 2.8% in January, 0.2 percentage points less than in December, according to figures published yesterday by the Czech Statistical Office.
Compared to December, food and non-alcoholic beverages saw significant price increases, with vegetables rising by 7.1%, fruit by 6.5%, non-alcoholic beverages by 4.1%, cheese and quark by 4.1%, poultry by 5.7%, pork by 3.0%, sausage products by 1.7%, and semi-skimmed long-life milk by 1.7%. Prices for alcoholic beverages and tobacco products also climbed, with spirits up by 10.8%, wine by 13.0%, beer by 3.5%, and tobacco products by 0.4%.
In the leisure and culture sector, the main driver of price increases was package holidays, which rose by 5.7%. However, the overall price level was dampened by declines in the clothing and footwear sectors, where prices fell by 1.9% and 2.7%, respectively. In the food sector, egg prices dropped by 6.6%.
On an annual basis, rising food prices contributed the most to inflation in January. “The development of consumer prices in January compared to the previous year was strongly influenced by food and housing costs. Food prices continued to rise year-on-year and were nearly 5% higher than in January last year. On the other hand, housing price growth slowed to 1.3% compared to the previous year,” said Pavla Šedivá, Head of the Consumer Price Statistics Department at the Czech Statistical Office (ČSÚ).
Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP)
According to preliminary calculations, the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) in the Czech Republic rose by 1.4% in January compared to the previous month and by 2.9% year-on-year. Eurostat’s flash estimates show that the annual HICP inflation rate in January 2025 was 2.5% in the eurozone (compared to 2.4% in December), 2.8% in Germany, and 4.1% in Slovakia. Croatia recorded the highest inflation rate in January at 5.0%, while Ireland had the lowest at 1.5%.
