Lithuania Tops EU Inflation Chart as Energy Prices Soar

The European Union has seen significant inflationary pressures in August, with Lithuania recording the highest annual rate at 5.8%. This is according to data from Eurostat, which measures the harmonised index of consumer prices (HICP) across EU countries.

Energy prices are expected to have a particularly high impact on inflation rates, with an annual increase of 14.3% in August compared to July's 10.3%. Services and non-energy industrial goods also saw slight increases, while food and alcohol prices remained stable at 1.2%.

The countries with the highest annual inflation rates were Lithuania (5.8%), Cyprus (5.2%), and Bulgaria (5.1%). In contrast, Estonia had the lowest rate at 1.3%, followed by Malta at 1.9% and Finland at 2.4%.