April 18 (SeeNews) - Albania's EU-harmonised index of consumer prices (HICP) rose 2.4% year-on-year in March, decelerating from a 2.8% annual increase in February, the statistical office, INSTAT, said.
The most significant contribution to annual inflation in March was a 4.2% increase in education prices, followed by culture and entertainment prices, with 3.9%, and a 3.6% rise in prices of furniture, home appliances and maintenance, INSTAT said in a statement on Wednesday.
On a monthly comparison basis, Albania's HICP saw a 0.7% rise in March, after inching up 0.3% in February.
Albania's non-harmonised consumer price inflation slowed to 2.3% year-on-year in March, from 2.6% in February, INSTAT said earlier this month. The country's HICP averaged 5.3% in 2023.
INSTAT began releasing inflation measurements using HICP in February 2017. HICP assesses consumer price inflation in the eurozone and is formulated following a standardised methodology adopted across European Union countries, allowing for meaningful comparisons of data between different nations.