Data from the National Statistics Office today, show that in February, the annual rate of inflation as measured by the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) was 3.0%, down from 3.7% in January.

The NSO noted that the highest annual inflation rates in February were recorded in Food and non-alcoholic beverages (6.8%) and Education (5.6%).

The lowest annual inflation rates were registered in Communication (-9.8%) and Recreation and culture (-1.0%).

The largest upward impact on annual inflation was measured in the Food and non-alcoholic beverages Index (+1.22 percentage points), largely due to higher prices of milk, the NSO said.

The largest downward impact was recorded in the Communication Index (-0.39 percentage points), mainly reflecting lower prices of mobile phone services.

The 12-month moving average rate for February stood at 5.0%.

File photo: Gozo News/Alain Salvary

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