Inflation across Europe has remained highly uneven over the past twelve months. While some countries have already moved close to central banks’ 2% targets, others continue to struggle with significantly faster price growth.
Romania currently records the highest inflation rate in the European Union, followed by Croatia and Lithuania. On the other hand, Denmark, the Czech Republic, Cyprus, and Sweden belong to the countries with the lowest inflation.
During the past year, the Czech Republic has become one of the most stable countries in terms of inflation within the EU, marking a major improvement compared with the high-inflation period that followed the energy crisis.
In the eurozone’s largest economies — Germany, France, Italy, and Spain — inflation remains slightly above the European Central Bank’s target. Rising energy and fuel prices continue to be the main drivers.
Compared with the rest of the world, inflation currently stands at around 3.8% in the United States, approximately 5.6% in Russia, and only about 1.2% in China. While the US economy is still facing persistent price pressures, China remains one of the few major economies with very low inflation.
Europe is therefore entering 2026 with a far more stable price environment than during the 2022–2023 energy crisis, although the fight against inflation is not yet fully over.
Countries with the highest inflation in Europe
The highest inflation in the European Union is shown by:
| Country | Inflation % |
| Romania | 9,0 |
| Croatia | 4,6 |
| Lithuania | 4,4 |
Other countries with above-average price growth include Bulgaria, Spain and Italy.
Countries with the lowest inflation
At the opposite end of the scale are:
| Country | Inflace % |
| Denmark | 1,0 |
| Czechia | 1,5 |
| Cyprus | 1,5 |
| Sweden | 1,5 |
For Czech households, it is positive news that the Czech Republic has ranked among the countries with the lowest inflation in the entire EU in the last year.