Latest data from the National Statistics Office, shows that the annual rate of inflation in March as measured by the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices rose to 2.1% from 2.0% in February.

The NSO noted that the largest annual inflation rates in February were recorded in education (5.2%) and miscellaneous goods and services (3.8%).

The lowest annual inflation rates were registered in communication (-4.9%) and furnishings, household equipment and routine household maintenance (0.5%).

The largest upward contribution to the overall annual inflation was measured in the food and non-alcoholic beverages index (+0.57 percentage points) largely due to higher prices of non-alcoholic beverages.

The NSO said that the largest downward contribution was recorded in the communication index (-0.19 percentage points) mainly reflecting the lower prices of mobile phone services.

The 12-month moving average rate for March stood at 2.2%.

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