In October the inflation rate was 3.4%, the same as in September. The underlying commodity groups showed different influences on inflation.
Price developments of car fuels pushed inflation up. In October the prices for petrol etc. were 4.6% higher than a year ago, whereas the year-on-year change was only 1.5% in September. The telephone rates also put upward pressure on inflation. In October telephone calls became on average 4% more expensive than a year ago.
Downward pressure came from price developments for food and non-alcoholic beverages. The prices of fresh vegetables played a major role. In September they were up 10% on the same month last year. In October fresh vegetables were cheaper than the year before.
The Netherlands still has one of the highest inflation rates within the Euro zone. The harmonised consumer price index in October stood at 3.6% for the Netherlands. The countries with a higher inflation were Greece (3.9%), Spain (4.0%), Portugal (4.1%) and Ireland (4.4%). The lowest inflation rates were observed in Belgium and Germany (1.3% ). The Euro zone inflation rate averaged 2.3%.
(source: CBS)
