25 years after its launch the Eurostat Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) shows that annual euro area inflation climbed to a record high at the start of 2022, recording 5.1% in January 2022 and expected to be 5.8% in February 2022, according to a Eurostat flash estimate.
The HICP measures the changes over time in the prices of consumer goods and services acquired by households. Data gathered from EU countries are calculated based on harmonised definitions which enables comparable measures of inflation over time.