Croatia Inflation Rate Rises to 5-Month High

Croatia’s annual inflation rate rose to 4.9% in October 2026 from 4.7% in the previous month, marking the highest reading since May and above market expectations of 4.7%, according to a flash estimate. The uptick was primarily driven by higher energy prices, which surged 20.7%. Prices for food, beverages and tobacco edged up by 0.2%, while services prices rose by 7.5%. Meanwhile, prices for non-food industrial goods without energy fell by 1.1%. On a monthly basis, consumer prices increased by 0.7%, following a 0.9% gain in the previous month.

The annual inflation rate in Croatia rose to 4.7% in September 2026 from 4.2% in the previous month, matching preliminary estimates. This marked the highest reading since May, as price growth accelerated for housing utilities (11.7% vs 10.8%), transportation (16.0% vs 13.5%), recreation and culture (5.0% vs 2.4%), restaurants and hotels (6.5% vs 6.1%), and miscellaneous goods and services (3.5% vs 2.8%). At the same time, costs declined at a softer pace for food and non-alcoholic beverages (-0.5% vs -0.6%), while prices rebounded for education (2.9% vs -2.0%). In contrast, inflation eased for alcoholic beverages and tobacco (3.5% vs 3.9%), health (4.6% vs 5.1%), information and communication (2.6% vs 2.7%), and insurance and financial services (3.5% vs 3.6%), while costs declined further for furnishings and household equipment (-0.6% vs -0.3%) and clothing and footwear (-6.6% vs -5.1%). On a monthly basis, consumer prices grew by 0.9% in September, following a 0.4% rise in August.

Croatia’s annual inflation rate rose to 4.7% in September 2026 from 4.2% in the previous month, marking the highest reading since May 2026, according to a preliminary estimate. The uptick was primarily driven by higher energy prices, which surged 20.5% year-on-year, reflecting ongoing pressures associated with the Middle East conflict. Services prices also continued to rise strongly, climbing by 7.6%, while food, beverages and tobacco prices edged up by 0.2%. Meanwhile, prices for non-food industrial goods without energy fell by 1.4%. On a monthly basis, consumer prices increased by 0.9%, following a 0.3% gain in the previous month.