Austria Inflation Hits Over 1-Year Peak

The annual inflation rate in Austria rose to 3.4% in April 2026 from 3.2% in March, revised higher from initial estimates of 3.3%. This marks the highest reading since late December, with fuel and heating oil prices accounting for nearly a third of overall inflation, contributing around 1 percentage point, while transport emerged as the strongest upward driver (+7.7% annually), led by a 28.0% surge in fuels. Inflation was also pushed higher by increased costs in housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels (+3.3%), as well as restaurants and accommodation services (+4.9%). Meanwhile, the introduction of a fuel price cap helped limit the overall increase, while an earlier Easter weighed on package holiday prices, also slightly dampening inflation. On a monthly basis, consumer prices increased by 0.4% in April, easing from a 1.2% rise in March. The harmonised inflation rate (HICP) also rose by 3.4% year-on-year, the highest in four months.

The annual inflation rate in Austria rose to 3.3% in April 2026 from 3.1% in the previous month, according to preliminary estimates. Manuela Lenk, Director General Statistics at Statistics Austria, said geopolitical tensions continued to impact inflation, particularly fuels and heating oil. Energy prices were 10.7% higher year-on-year, accelerating from 6.2% in March. The fuel price cap introduced in April cut gasoline and diesel prices by up to 10 cents per litre and reduced inflation by up to 0.2 percentage points. At the same time, Easter, which fell 2 weeks earlier than in the previous year, dampened package holiday prices. Services, the main inflation driver, eased to 3.9% from 4.5% in March. Food, tobacco and alcohol also rose 2.7% from 2.4%. On a monthly basis, consumer prices increased by 0.3% in April, easing from a 1.2% gain in the preceding period.

The annual inflation rate in Austria rose to 3.2% in March 2026, slightly higher than preliminary estimates of 3.1% and up from 2.2% in the previous month. This marked the highest reading since December 2025, driven largely by a sharp 6.4% rise (vs 0.9% in February) in transport costs. Prices also increased for housing and utilities (2.7% vs 1.5%), while inflation remained steady for education services (at 5.2%) and restaurants and accommodations (at 5%). In contrast, inflation softened for alcoholic beverages, tobacco and narcotics (2.8% vs 4.8%) and personal care, social protection and miscellaneous goods (3.9% vs 4.1%), while it declined for clothing and footwear (-0.5% vs 0.8%) and information and communications (-2.7% vs -3.3%). On a monthly basis, consumer prices went up by 1.2% in March, exceeding flash estimates of a 1.1% rise and February's 0.8% gain. . Meanwhile, the harmonised index of consumer prices (HICP) rose 3.1% annually and 1.1% monthly.