Ljubljana, 30 May (STA) - Slovenia's annual inflation rate declined by half a percentage point in May to 1.8%, the latest Statistics Office figures show. A year ago it stood at 2.5%. At monthly level, the rate remained the same on average.
Services prices increased by 3.2% in a year, while goods prices rose by 1%.
The main driver of inflation remains the rising prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages, which contributed one percentage point to the headline rate in May. Those prices went up by 5.5% in a year.
Prices in restaurants and hotels rose by 5.3% year-on-year, contributing 0.4 points to inflation, while costlier recreation and culture (+3.1%) added a further 0.3 points.
On the other hand, lower prices in the category housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels (-2.1%) reduced the headline rate by 0.3 points. A 1.9% decrease in energy prices also eased inflation by another 0.3 points.
In the first five months of the year, annual inflation was at 1.9% on average.
Measured with the harmonised index of consumer prices, an EU gauge, the annual consumer prices growth in May was 1.9%, down 0.4 points compared to the rate in April. A year ago it was at 2.5%. At monthly level the prices declined by 0.1% on average.
