Euro area annual inflation was 3.0% in October 2011, unchanged compared with September. A year earlier the rate was 1.9%. Monthly inflation was 0.3% in October 2011.

EU annual inflation was 3.4% in October 2011, up from 3.3% in September. A year earlier the rate was 2.3%. Monthly inflation was 0.3% in October 2011.

Inflation in the EU Member States In October 2011, the lowest annual rates were observed in Sweden (1.1%), Ireland (1.5%) and Malta (2.4%), and the highest in the United Kingdom (5.0%), Estonia (4.7%) and Slovakia (4.6%). Compared with September 2011, annual inflation fell in nine Member States, remained stable in five and rose in thirteen.

The lowest 12-month averages up to October 2011 were registered in Ireland (0.8%), Sweden (1.6%), the Czech Republic and Slovenia (both 2.0%), and the highest in Romania (6.6%), Estonia (5.2%) and the United Kingdom (4.3%).

The main components with the highest annual rates in October 2011 were transport (5.8%), housing (5.1%) and alcohol & tobacco (4.4%), while the lowest annual rates were observed for communications (-1.9%), recreation & culture (0.3%) and education (0.9%). Concerning the detailed sub-indices, fuels for transport (+0.52 percentage points), heating oil (+0.19), gas (+0.12) and electricity (+0.11) had the largest upward impacts on the headline rate, while telecommunications (-0.16), rents (-0.11) and vegetables (-0.10) had the biggest downward impacts.

The main components with the highest monthly rates were clothing (2.6%), alcohol & tobacco (0.9%) and housing (0.5%), while the lowest were education (-0.3%) and communications (-0.2%). In particular, garments (+0.12 percentage points), footwear, gas and tobacco (+0.03 each) had the largest upward impacts, while fuels for transport, rents and accommodation services (-0.03 each) had the biggest downward impacts.

These figures come from Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union.

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