Food prices grew 1.59%, service prices climbed 2.2%, while prices of non-food items were 4.3% higher year-over-year in March 2021.
Compared with February 2021, consumer prices stood at 0.38%, with non-food items inching up 0.4%, food prices increasing by 0.3% and services prices by 0.2%.
Consumer prices were up 3.1% in March 2021 compared to March 2020. The annual rate calculated on the basis of the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) is 2.5%.
The average consumer price rate based on the CPI over the last 12 months (April 2020-March 2021) as compared to the previous 12 months (April 2019-March 2020) is 2.6%. The average rate based on the HICP is 2.1%.
Since the beginning of 2021, the highest price increases were recorded by electricity (18%), edible oil (5%), canned vegetables (6%), while plane ticket prices fell by 18%.
The 2021 state budget was built on an economic growth estimated at 4.3%, an inflation rate of 2.5% and an exchange rate of RON4.89 to the euro, per data from the the National Strategy and Prognosis Commission.