Home > Statistics > Consumer price index > 2014 > March > Inflation slowed down to 1.1 per cent in March

Published: 14 April 2014

Inflation slowed down to 1.1 per cent in March

The year-on-year change in consumer prices calculated by Statistics Finland slowed down even further, as it was 1.1 per cent in March, 1.3 per cent in February and 1.6 per cent in January. Inflation slowed down above all because the prices of vegetables fell from February to March.

Inflation indicators in Finland, March 2014

	Point figure	Year-on-year change	Change on one month
Consumer Price Index 2010=100	109,0	1,1 %	0,2 %
Cost-of-living Index 1951:10=100	1 909
Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices 2005=100	121,8	1,3 %	0,2 %
Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices at Constant Taxes 2005=100	118,7	0,8 %	0,3 %

In March, consumer prices were pushed up most in the year by rent increases, and higher prices of restaurant and café services and alcoholic beverages. The rising of consumer prices was curbed most in March by fallen prices of liquid fuels, entertainment electronics and detached houses from one year ago. From February to March, consumer prices went up by 0.2 per cent.

Each mid-month, Statistics Finland's interviewers collect altogether around 50,000 prices on nearly 500 commodities from approximately 2,700 outlets for the Consumer Price Index. In addition, some 1,000 items of price data are gathered by centralised collection. The Consumer Price Index 2010=100 Handbook for Users is available on the CPI-home page (www.stat.fi).

According to preliminary data, inflation in the euro area slowed down to 0.5 per cent in March

According to the preliminary data on the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices, the rate of inflation in the euro area slowed down to 0.5 per cent in March from 0.7 per cent in February. The corresponding figure for Finland was 1.3 per cent in March.

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 or the vehicle tax. 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 March on 16 April. Information of inflation in EU countries is available on Eurostat homepage, eurostat (http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat).

The year-on-year change in the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices at Constant Taxes was 0.8 per cent in March

The year-on-year change in the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices stood at 1.3 per cent in March and that in the Index at Constant Taxes measuring market inflation at 0.8 per cent. Over twelve months, the combined raising impact on consumer prices from changes in commodity tax rates was thus 0.5 percentage points. The month-on-month change in the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices was 0.2 per cent and that in the Index at Constant Taxes 0.3 per cent in March. There were no changes in tax rates in March.

Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices at Constant Taxes

The inflation measured by Consumer Price Index consists mainly of products and services priced by enterprises and the public sector, and value added and commodity taxes. Some 25 per cent of the private consumption described by the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) consists of value added or other taxes. The Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices at Constant Taxes (HICP-CT) is based on the HICP so the two indices have the same weight structure and price data. HICP-CT is calculated with a method which holds the tax rate constant relative to the reference period. When tax changes take place, the impact of the tax change on commodity prices is eliminated from HICP-CT. The price impact of the tax changes is obtained by comparing the development of the HICP and HICP-CT.

Source: Consumer Price Index, Statistics Finland

Inquiries: Juhani Pekkarinen 09 1734 3476, Antti Halmetoja 09 1734 3763, khi@stat.fi

Director in charge: Leena Storgårds

Publication in pdf-format (383.8 kB)

Tables

Tables in databases

Pick the data you need into tables, view the data as graphs, or download the data for your use.

• Database tables and their variables
• Archived tables

Appendix tables

• Appendix table 1. Consumer Price Index 2010=100 by commodity groups (14.4.2014)
• Appendix table 2. Cost-of-living Index 1951:10=100 (14.4.2014)
• Appendix table 3. Year-on-year changes in the Consumer Price Index, per cent (14.4.2014)
• Appendix table 4. Consumer Price Index 2000=100 (14.4.2014)
• Appendix table 5. Consumer Price Index 2005=100 (14.4.2014)

Figures

• Appendix figure 1. Annual change in the Consumer Price Index and the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices, January 2001 - March 2014 (14.4.2014)
• Appendix figure 2. Goods and services with the largest impact on the year-on-year change in the Consumer Price Index, March 2014 (14.4.2014)
• Appendix figure 3. Annual change in the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices and the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices at Constant Taxes, January 2007 - March 2014 (14.4.2014)
• Appendix figure 4. Harmonised Index of Consumer Price Index 2005=100; Finland, euro area and EU (14.4.2014)

---

Updated 14.4.2014