In March, annual inflation in Germany dropped to 2.2% from February's 2.3%, according to the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis). On a monthly basis, consumer prices increased by 0.3% compared to the February increase of 0.4%. Core inflation, which excludes changes in food and energy prices, has also slowed down. In March, it was 2.5%, down from February's 2.7%. At the same time, the cost of food increased by 2.9% year-on-year, compared with 2.4% in February. Energy prices, on the contrary, showed a decrease – they fell by 2.8% against a decrease of 1.6% a month earlier. Services, in turn, have risen in price by 3.4% over the past year, while the cost of goods has increased by 1%. Taking into account the harmonized consumer price index calculated according to EU standards, inflation in March reached 2.3% in annual terms. On a monthly basis, the growth was 0.4%, which is confirmed by preliminary data.
