Press release No. 438 of 13 October 2022
Consumer price index, September 2022
+10.0% on the same month a year earlier (provisional result confirmed)
+1.9% on the previous month (provisional result confirmed)
Harmonised index of consumer prices, September 2022
+10.9% on the same month a year earlier (provisional result confirmed)
+2.2% on the previous month (provisional result confirmed)
WIESBADEN −The inflation rate in Germany, measured as the year-on-year change in the consumer price index (CPI), stood at +10.0% in September 2022. The rate was +7.9% in August 2022 and then surged to this high, staying above 7% for seven months. “At 10%, the inflation rate has reached an all-time high since German reunification,” says Dr. Georg Thiel, President of the Federal Statistical Office. He states that “enormous price rises for energy products still are the main reason for the high inflation. But we also see price increases for many other goods, especially food. The end of both the fuel discount period and the 9-euro ticket availability also accelerated the price rises in September 2022. These temporary measures of the second relief package had a downward effect on overall inflation from June to August 2022.“ The Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) also reports that in September 2022 consumer prices increased markedly by 1.9% compared with August 2022.
End of relief measures accelerating price rise
In addition to the rising prices of all energy products due to the situation of war and crisis, delivery bottlenecks and significant price increases at upstream stages in the economic process had an impact on the inflation rate. The prices of other goods and services also went up as a consequence, among them again many food products.
Overall inflation accelerated in September 2022 also because two temporary measures of the second relief package ended, the fuel discount and the 9-euro ticket. The dampening effect of the relief measures on the consumer price index had been estimated at roughly one percentage point by the Federal Statistical Office when the relief measures took effect in June 2022. Higher prices of motor fuels and tickets for public regional and short-distance passenger transport in September 2022 showed the end of the relief measures in the transport sector. The increase of transport prices in September 2022 from the same month a year earlier amounted to +14.0%, after +3.7% in August 2022 (July: +5.4%; June: +8.3%).The figure for May 2022 had been +16.3%, which was before the relief measures took effect.
Prices of energy products up 43.9% year on year
Energy product prices were 43.9% higher in September 2022 than in the same month a year earlier (August 2022: +35.6%). There was a particularly large price increase for household energy (+51.8%). Heating oil prices more than doubled year on year (+108.4%) and natural gas prices rose by +95.1%. Electricity prices increased by 21.0%; the abolishment of the EEG surcharge effective as of July 2022 reduced the price rise only slightly.Motor fuel prices increased by +30.5% in September 2022, after having risen by +16.5% in August 2022 (July 2022: +23.0%; June 2022: +33.2%). The increase in motor fuel prices had been +41.0% in May 2022, before the fuel discount took effect. The end of the period in which a lower mineral-oil tax was charged was presumably only one reason for the large increase in motor fuel prices. The high prices of energy products are due, in particular, to the large increases of international purchase prices.
18.7% increase in food prices year on year
Food prices rose 18.7% in September 2022 compared with the same month a year earlier and thus more than overall prices. Prices have increased gradually since the beginning of the year (August: +16.6%). Higher prices were seen in all food groups also in September 2022. Prices were up considerably for edible fats and oils (+49.0%) and for dairy products and eggs (+29.1%). Consumers had to pay notably higher prices also for meat and meat products (+19.5%) and for bread and cereals (+18.5%).
Inflation rate excluding energy and food at +4.6%
Excluding energy prices, the inflation rate stood at +6.0% in September 2022. The extent to which food prices currently affect the overall rate of price increase is shown by the inflation rate when energy and food are excluded. It was much lower (+4.6%), not even half the overall inflation rate.
Prices of goods rose 17.2% on September 2021
The prices of goods (total) were up 17.2% in September 2022 on the same month of the previous year. The prices of non-durable consumer goods, which include also food and energy, increased notably by 23.3%. The prices of consumer durables rose by 5.9% (including furniture and lighting equipment: +9.1%; vehicles: +9.0%).
Service prices up by only 3.6% compared with a year earlier
The prices of services (total) increased by 3.6% in September 2022 on the same month of the previous year. Net rents exclusive of heating expenses, which have much impact as they account for a large part of household final consumption expenditure, rose by 1.8%. Larger price increases were observed for the maintenance and repair of dwellings and residential buildings (+13.9%), package holidays (+10.4%) and for catering services in restaurants, cafés and the like (+8.5%). In addition, the price reductions in public regional and short-distance passenger transport ended as the 9-euro ticket was no longer available. The prices of rail tickets in short-distance transport (+2.4%) and combined tickets for rail, bus and the like (+1.9%) were up again year on year in September 2022. In contrast, lower prices had to be paid for only a few services, for example telecommunications services(-1.5%) and services of social facilities (-1.4%).
The month-on-month comparison shows the sharp price rise caused by the abolishment of the 9-euro ticket and the fuel discount
Compared with August 2022, the consumer price index rose markedly by 1.9% in September 2022. Sharp rises in ticket prices were recorded for short-distance rail transport (+82.5%) and for combined passenger transport (+175.3%) as a result of the 9-euro ticket ending. Energy prices as a whole rose by 6.9%. Price rises were observed in particular for motor fuels (+12.5%), which was influenced by the fuel discount ending.As regards household energy, especially gas prices were up (+6.7%). In addition, households paid more for food (+1.8%, including vegetables: +3.9%; dairy products: +2.2%). There were also seasonal price fluctuations in September 2022. Higher prices of clothing (+5.7%) were contrasted by lower prices of package holidays (-10.9%).
Methodological notes:
The special effects caused by two measures of the Federal Government’s second relief package (9-euro ticket and fuel discount) ended in September 2022. The abolishment of the EEG surcharge as of July 2022, which has also been adopted, is still reflected in the index of consumer price statistics. In the meantime, a third relief package has been adopted by the Federal Government. This package, too, includes measures that will be reflected in the index such as the reduction of the turnover tax on gas and district heating; this will however be reflected in the results for reference month October 2022 at the earliest.
The national consumer price index (CPI) and the harmonised index of consumer prices (HICP) differ in coverage and methodology. In contrast to the HICP, the CPI includes also household expenditure on owner-occupied housing, games of chance and broadcasting fees. In addition, the HICP product weights are updated annually. As the weight of housing is much smaller in the HICP basket, price increases in other product groups have a larger impact on the HICP than on the CPI. These differences (coverage, methodology and weighting) explain the in part considerable differences between the CPI and the HICP for Germany.
Explanatory notes and a methodological paper which discusses this issue are provided on the website of the Federal Statistical Office.
Inflation Calculator informs about personal rate of inflation:
Consumers can use the Personal Inflation Calculator of the Federal Statistical Office to adapt their monthly consumption expenditure on individual product groups according to their own consumption patterns and to calculate their personal inflation rate. In addition, the Price Kaleidoscope gives an overview of the price trend and the weights of various products.
| Overall index / subindex | Weighting | Index 2015=100 | Change on the same period a year earlier | Change on the preceding month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| in per mill | in per cent | |||
| 1: Results do not include operating costs (such as hire of meters, reading of meters, standing charges etc.). | ||||
| Overall index | 1,000,00 | 121.1 | 10.0 | 1.9 |
| Food and non-alcoholic-beverages | 96.85 | 133.3 | 17.7 | 1.7 |
| Food | 84.87 | 135.4 | 18.7 | 1.8 |
| Meat and meat products | 18.60 | 141.1 | 19.5 | 0.9 |
| Fruit | 8.88 | 122.6 | 6.2 | 1.5 |
| Vegetables | 11.08 | 129.3 | 14.8 | 3.9 |
| Alcoholic beverages and tobacco | 37.77 | 124.4 | 6.1 | 0.6 |
| Clothing and footwear | 45.34 | 109.1 | 3.4 | 4.7 |
| Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels | 324.70 | 122.0 | 12.7 | 1.3 |
| Net rent exclusive of heating expenses | 196.32 | 110.8 | 1.8 | 0.1 |
| Household energy | 68.82 | 159.4 | 51.8 | 4.5 |
| Electricity | 25.92 | 134.9 | 21.0 | 3.9 |
| Gas 1 | 13.53 | 196.1 | 95.1 | 6.7 |
| Heating oil 1 | 7.01 | 256.8 | 108.4 | 2.9 |
| Furniture, lighting equipment, appliances and other household equipment | 50.04 | 114.7 | 8.5 | 0.7 |
| Health | 46.13 | 107.9 | 1.7 | 0.3 |
| Transport | 129.05 | 130.9 | 14.0 | 9.7 |
| Motor fuels | 35.01 | 154.1 | 30.5 | 12.5 |
| Supergrade petrol | 25.66 | 144.9 | 23.7 | 13.8 |
| Diesel fuel | 8.64 | 179.5 | 48.2 | 9.7 |
| Autogas | 0.71 | 175.9 | 47.1 | 7.6 |
| Communication | 26.72 | 93.8 | -0.5 | -0.1 |
| Recreation and culture | 113.36 | 117.4 | 5.9 | -2.7 |
| Package holidays | 26.62 | 129.8 | 10.4 | -10.9 |
| Education | 9.02 | 107.1 | 2.3 | 1.6 |
| Restaurant and accommodation services | 46.77 | 126.5 | 9.0 | 0.6 |
| Miscellaneous goods and services | 74.25 | 115.8 | 3.2 | 0.6 |
More information:
More information on consumer price statistics is contained in Fachserie 17, Reihe 7 "Verbraucherpreise für Deutschland". Detailed results can also be found in the tables on the consumer price index (61111-0004) and (61111-0006) and on the harmonised index of consumer prices (61121-0002) and 61121-0004) in the GENESIS-Online database. The table "Verbraucherpreisindex – Preisentwicklung für Nahrungsmittel" (only in german) contains information on changes in the prices of individual food products.
The consumer price index results are available on the Corona statistics webpage (www.destatis.de/corona) of the Federal Statistical Office and in the Dashboard Germany (www.dashboard-deutschland.de), together with other indicators which can be used to assess the economic consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Dashboard Germany portal of the Federal Statistical Office combines up-to-date indicators of official statistics and of other data providers on the topics of economy and finance as well as health and mobility. The CPI also forms part of the Crisis Monitor (www.destatis.de/krisenmonitor), by means of which the Federal Statistical Office compares the development of major short-term indicators in the Covid-19 crisis and the financial and economic crisis of 2008/2009.
The Russian attack on Ukraine and the relevant sanctions against Russia have had a strong impact on the economy and population and in particular on the energy sector. Data and information on the areas affected are provided on a special webpage (www.destatis.de/ukraine).
