Bread, vegetables, meat - food has become more expensive. Prices for cooking oils and fats have risen particularly sharply, but important staple foods such as bread have also become significantly more costly. This is particularly due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has significantly disturbed global markets since Russia and Ukraine have been major exporters of grains, wheat, maize, oilseeds (particularly sunflowers) and fertilisers.
In August 2022, the price of bread in the EU was on average 18% higher than in August 2021. This is a huge increase compared with August 2021, when the price of bread was on average 3% higher than in August 2020. Monthly data also show a significant increase in headline inflation, although not as large (from +3% to +10%).
This information comes from data on the harmonised index of consumer prices (HICP) published recently by Eurostat.
Source dataset: prc_hicp_manr
Some countries were much more affected than others. The highest average rate of change in bread prices was recorded in Hungary (+66% in August 2022), followed by Lithuania (+33%), Estonia and Slovakia (both +32%).
Source dataset: prc_hicp_manr
Meanwhile, the lowest average rate of change in bread prices was recorded in France (+8% in August 2022), the Netherlands and Luxembourg (both +10%).
For more information:
- Statistics Explained article on harmonised indices of consumer prices methodology
- Dedicated section on harmonised indices of consumer prices
- Database on harmonised indices of consumer prices
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