Inflation 5.7 per cent in April 2022

Release related to topics:Prices and consumption Energy

release 13/05/2022 | Consumer price index 2022, April

The year-on-year change in consumer prices calculated by Statistics Finland was 5.7 per cent in April. In March, inflation stood at 5.8 per cent. The largest downward contribution to the inflation rate came from the easing off of rising liquid fuel prices.

Inflation indicators in Finland, April 2022

	Point figure	Annual change (%)	Monthly change (%)
Consumer Price Index 2015=100	111.3	5.7	0.3
Cost-of-living Index 1951:10=100	2121
Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices 2015=100	112.0	5.8	0.4
Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices at Constant Taxes 2015=100	110.4	5.7	0.4

The table depicts the point figures for all Statistics Finland's published series.

Key selections

Consumer prices were raised most in April by increases in the prices of electricity, petrol, diesel, and capital repair on detached houses from one year ago.
The rising of consumer prices from one year back was curbed most by reductions in the prices of children’s day care, non-refundable prescription medicines, medical examination and treatment fees, eyeglasses and average interest rate on housing loans.
The month-on-month change of consumer prices was only 0.3 per cent. Prices of light fuel oil fell by almost 23 per cent while the prices of refundable prescription medicines were up 24 per cent, for example.

According to preliminary data, inflation in the euro area was 7.5 per cent in April 2022

According to the preliminary data on the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP), the rate of inflation in the euro area was 7.5 per cent in April. In March, it stood at 7.4 per cent. The corresponding figure for Finland was 5.8 per cent in April.

The Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices does not include owner-occupancy, games of chance, interests on consumption and other credits, fire insurance on owner-occupied dwellings, the vehicle tax or fishing and hunting fees. The consumption items included in the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices, as well as the rules governing its compilation, have been defined in EU regulations.

Eurostat’s estimate of inflation in the euro area is based on preliminary data from the Member States and on the price development of energy. Eurostat will publish detailed data on Harmonised Indices of Consumer Prices for April on 18 May.

The year-on-year change in the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices at Constant Taxes was 5.7 per cent in April 2022

The year-on-year change in the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) stood at 5.8 per cent in April and that in the Index at Constant Taxes (HICP-CT) measuring market inflation at 5.7 per cent. Over twelve months, the combined raising impact on consumer prices from changes in commodity tax rates was thus 0.1 percentage points. The month-on-month change in the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices was 0.4 per cent and that in the Index at Constant Taxes 0.4 per cent in April.

In the Index at Constant Taxes, the impact on inflation from changes in the value added tax and other commodity taxes has been eliminated by keeping the taxes constant relative to the index base period. The Index measures market inflation or the change in prices caused by reasons other than changes in commodity taxes. The price impact of the tax changes is obtained by comparing the development of the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices and the Index at Constant Taxes.