TIRANA, March 18 /ATA/ Inflation, measured by the Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) according to Eurostat methodology, reached 2.5% in February.
The European Union average for the same month was recorded at 2.1%.
Data released by the Institute of Statistics (INSTAT) show that the largest annual increase was in the “recreation, sports, and culture” category, which rose by 9.7%.
The “personal care, social protection, and miscellaneous goods and services” category increased by 3.3%, while “insurance and financial services” grew by 3%. Both the “alcoholic beverages and tobacco” and “rent, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels” categories recorded rises of 2.7% each.
Additional significant increases were recorded in the “furniture, household equipment, and home maintenance” category, which rose by 2.4%, as well as in “food and non-alcoholic beverages” and “education services”, both registering a 2.3% increase. More moderate growth was observed in “restaurants and accommodation services” (1.8%), “clothing and footwear” (1.2%), and “health” (1%). The transport sector experienced a marginal increase of 0.1%.
Compared with January, consumer prices increased by 0.5%. The monthly rise was primarily driven by increases in energy and fuel prices (1%), food (0.9%), and transport (0.8%).
The “clothing and footwear” category recorded a 0.3% decrease.
Since February 2026, the Consumer Price Index has been calculated according to the new ECOICOP 2018 classification, which includes a restructuring of basket items and the reclassification of certain products.
This classification is in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2024/3159 and aligns price measurement with European statistical standards.
