Press release No. 139 of 11 April 2025
Consumer price index, March 2025:
+2.2% on the same month a year earlier (provisional result confirmed)
+0.3% on the previous month (provisional result confirmed)
Harmonised index of consumer prices, March 2025:
+2.3% on the same month a year earlier (provisional result confirmed)
+0.4% 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 +2.2% in March 2025. The inflation rate was +2.3% in both February and January 2025, and stood at +2.6% in December 2024. The Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) also reports that the development of energy prices had a downward effect on inflation in March 2025 also. By contrast, the rise in food prices accelerated again. In addition, above-average increases in service prices, in particular, continued to drive up inflation. Compared with February 2025, consumer prices rose by 0.3% in March 2025.
Energy product prices down 2.8% compared with March 2024
The prices of energy products were 2.8% lower in March 2025 than in the same month a year earlier. In each of the three preceding months, from December 2024 to February 2025, the decline in prices stood at -1.6%. Motor fuel prices (-4.6%), in particular, were down in March 2025 from a year earlier. Household energy prices dropped by 1.6% in the same period, with consumers benefiting from lower prices for electricity (-2.1%), firewood, wood pellets and other solid fuels (-3.5%) and heating oil (-8.4%). Natural gas (+3.5%) and district heating (+9.5%), on the other hand, were more expensive than a year earlier.
3.0% increase in food prices year on year
Food prices in March 2025 were up 3.0% year on year, after +2.4% in February 2025. The rise in food prices therefore accelerated again and was significantly higher than the overall rate of inflation in March 2025. The last time a higher year-on-year increase in food prices was recorded was in January 2024 (+3.8% on January 2023). From March 2024 to March 2025, price rises were recorded especially for edible fats and oils (+9.2%), fruit (+5.7%) and vegetables (+5.3%). Price increases for sugar, jam, honey and other confectionery (+4.9%) and for dairy products and eggs (+4.1%) were also higher than overall inflation. Smaller price increases were also recorded for some food groups (only in German), such as bread and cereals and meat and meat products (+0.9% in each case). Only the prices of fish, fish products and seafood were lower than a year earlier (-0.4%).
Inflation rate excluding food and energy at +2.6%
Excluding energy prices, the inflation rate stood at +2.7% in March 2025. The inflation rate excluding food and energy, often referred to as core inflation, was +2.6% in March 2025. Both rates have exceeded overall inflation for over a year, thereby demonstrating that inflation was above average in other important product groups.
Service prices registered above-average increase of 3.5% year on year
The prices of services (total) were 3.5% higher in March 2025 than a year earlier. From March 2024 to March 2025, price increases were recorded in particular for combined passenger transport services (+11.4%), services of social facilities (+10.0%) and insurance services (+9.8%). Marked price increases were also observed for in-patient health services (+6.5%), the maintenance and repair of vehicles (+5.8%) and catering services in restaurants, cafés and the like (+4.2%), for instance. Net rents exclusive of heating expenses also continue to be a major factor contributing to the development of service prices. At +2.1%, the rate of price increase was slightly below the inflation rate. By contrast, it continued to be the case that only a few services cost less than in the same month a year earlier, for example international flights (-8.7%) and telecommunications services (-1.1%).
Goods prices up 1.0% on March 2024
The prices of goods (total) were up 1.0% in March 2025 compared with March 2024. Price increases were also recorded for non-durable consumer goods (+1.3%) and durable consumer goods (+0.4%). Aside from the rise in food prices (+3.0%), several other products were markedly more expensive, for instance non-alcoholic beverages (+6.9%) and tobacco products (+4.2%). By contrast, price decreases were recorded not only for energy (-2.8%) but also for mobile phones (-9.0%) and information processing equipment (-6.0%), for example.
Prices (total) up 0.3% month on month
Compared with February 2025, the consumer price index rose by 0.3% in March 2025. Month-on-month price increases were observed for clothing (+4.3%) and package holidays (+3.1%) mainly due to seasonal factors. The prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages (total) were up 0.4% in March 2025 on the previous month. One notable price movement was the increase in the prices of coffee and the like (+4.6%). Further price increases were recorded for products such as sugar, jam, honey and other confectionery (+1.8%) and meat and meat products (+0.7%), but there also were price decreases for edible fats and oils and fresh vegetables (-1.8% in each case). Energy (total) cost 1.5% less than in the previous month, with the prices of motor fuels (-3.4%) and heating oil (-5.5%) falling in particular.
Methodological notes:
An overview explaining the different measures of the Federal Government and their impact on the consumer price index is available on the website of the Federal Statistical Office.
In the Euro area, the harmonised index of consumer prices (HICP) is used for the purposes of monetary policy. Apart from the individual purposes they serve, the consumer price index (CPI) and the HICP differ in terms of coverage, methodology and weighting. This explains the differences between the CPI and the HICP for Germany. In contrast to the HICP, the CPI also includes household expenditure on owner-occupied housing, games of chance and broadcasting fees. In addition, the HICP product weights are updated annually. Explanatory notes and the HICP results are also available on the website of the Federal Statistical Office.
Inflation Calculator for 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 | Change on same period of previous year | Change on the previous month | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Index | ||||
in per mill | % | |||
| Overall index | 1,000.00 | 121.2 | 2.2 | 0.3 |
| Food and non-alcoholic-beverages | 119.04 | 136.2 | 3.4 | 0.4 |
| Food | 104.69 | 136.3 | 3.0 | 0.3 |
| Meat and meat products | 22.16 | 130.1 | 0.9 | 0.7 |
| Fruit | 11.62 | 124.3 | 5.7 | 0.6 |
| Vegetables | 13.72 | 135.6 | 5.3 | -1.2 |
| Alcoholic beverages and tobacco | 35.26 | 124.4 | 2.6 | 0.0 |
| Clothing and footwear | 42.25 | 110.9 | 1.0 | 3.7 |
| Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels | 259.25 | 117.0 | 1.5 | 0.1 |
| Actual net rent exclusive of heating expenses | 68.30 | 109.3 | 2.1 | 0.2 |
| Imputed net rent exclusive of heating expenses | 104.13 | 108.4 | 2.0 | 0.3 |
| Household energy | 43.44 | 147.4 | -1.6 | -0.3 |
| Electricity | 24.50 | 124.8 | -2.1 | 0.1 |
| Gas 1 | 6.07 | 191.4 | 3.5 | 0.4 |
| Healting oil 1 | 1.70 | 189.5 | -8.4 | -5.5 |
| Furniture, lighting equipment, appliances and other household equipment | 67.78 | 118.1 | -0.3 | 0.4 |
| Health | 55.49 | 110.6 | 3.0 | 0.3 |
| Transport | 138.22 | 126.2 | 0.9 | -0.4 |
| Motor fuels | 30.46 | 138.4 | -4.6 | -3.4 |
| Supergrade petrol | 23.19 | 135.6 | -4.3 | -3.4 |
| Diesel fuel | 6.92 | 145.6 | -5.7 | -3.4 |
| Communication | 23.35 | 98.5 | -1.1 | -0.2 |
| Recreation and culture | 104.23 | 115.9 | 1.0 | 0.7 |
| Package holidays | 13.22 | 125.6 | 3.2 | 3.1 |
| Education | 9.06 | 118.7 | 4.7 | 0.2 |
| Restaurant and accommodation services | 47.20 | 129.9 | 3.8 | 0.4 |
| Miscellaneous goods and services | 98.87 | 125.5 | 6.3 | 0.6 |
| Overall index, excluding food and energy 2 | 821.41 | 117.3 | 2.6 | 0.6 |
More information:
Detailed results can 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 (61121-0006) in the GENESIS-Online database. Special items shown in Tables (61111-0006) and (61121-0006) contain CPI and HICP results which are used to measure "core inflation". The table "Verbraucherpreisindex – Preisentwicklung für Nahrungsmittel" (only in German) on the "Verbraucherpreisindex und Inflationsrate” page of the Federal Statistical Office’s website contains information on changes in the prices of individual food products.
Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Union, has released provisional results on Euro area inflation for March 2025 (available on Eurostat’s website under News > Euro indicators).
Results for the consumer price index can also be found on the Economic Dashboard, which is part of Dashboard Germany www.dashboard-deutschland.de (only in German). In this data portal, the Federal Statistical Office brings together up-to-date indicators from official statistics producers and other data providers on the topics of the economy, finance, the labour market, construction, housing, energy and Ukraine. The portal also contains the Economic Pulse Monitor tool (Pulsmesser Wirtschaft) (only in German) for real-time economic monitoring.
