Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices
Inflation update
In August 2024, the inflation rate in Germany, measured by the annual percentage change in the HICP, fell significantly to 2.0 % according to official estimates (July: 2.6 %). The sharp fall in energy prices had a dampening effect here. By contrast, food prices rose again slightly, particularly for unprocessed food. Core inflation (HICP excluding energy and food) also fell noticeably, from 3.3 % to 3.0 %. This was due to a significant decline in price momentum for other goods. The rate for services, on the other hand, remained high.
The next update will be on 10 September 2024 (final HICP figures for August 2024).
| Item | Year-on-year percentage change | Average1 (%) | Weighting (%) | ||||
| Aug 24 | Jul 24 | Jun 24 | 1999 − 2023 | 2024 | |||
| HICP (Germany) | + 2.0 | + 2.6 | + 2.5 | + 2.0 | 100.0 | ||
| Energy | − 5.1 | − 1.9 | − 2.2 | + 4.5 | 10.4 | ||
| HICP excluding energy | + 2.9 | + 3.1 | + 3.1 | + 1.6 | 89.6 | ||
| Food2 | + 2.6 | + 2.4 | + 2.3 | + 2.7 | 16.2 | ||
| HICP excluding energy and food | + 3.0 | + 3.3 | + 3.3 | + 1.4 | 73.4 | ||
| Industrial goods3 | + 0.7 | + 1.1 | + 1.1 | + 1.0 | 28.0 | ||
| Services | + 4.4 | + 4.4 | + 4.7 | + 1.7 | 45.4 | ||
| CPI (Germany) | + 1.9 | + 2.3 | + 2.2 | + 1.8 |
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| Sources: Federal Statistical Office, Eurostat, Bundesbank calculation. 1 Long-term geometric average. 2 Including alcohol and tobacco. 3 Excluding energy. | |||||||
Background
The Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) is the key measure of price stability in the euro area. It measures the average change in prices of all goods and services purchased by households for consumption purposes. The year-on-year percentage change in the HICP serves as the basis for assessing price stability in the euro area.Annual HICP year-on-year percentage change is here also referred to as the inflation rate. The euro area HICP is derived from the HICPs of the euro area countries.
As a general rule, the HICP is calculated on a monthly basis for euro area countries using data from the respective national consumer price indices (CPIs) and relying on harmonised concepts and methods. The Federal Statistical Office calculates the HICP data for Germany.
In Germany, the main difference between the HICP and the national CPI is that the former, in accordance with the European methodological guidelines, does not include owner-occupied housing costs. As a result, services have a smaller weight in the HICP than in the CPI. Accordingly, divergent price trends for goods and services may have disparate effects on the HICP and the CPI.