Istat, inflation accelerates: prices up 1.5% in 2025. Shopping carts 24% more expensive from 2021
December: 0.2% increase on month and 1.2% on year
Key points
In December 2025, the national consumer price index showed an increase of 0.2 % on November 2025 and 1.2 % on December 2024 (from +1.1 % in the previous month). This is stated by Istat, confirming preliminary estimates of the inflation rate. On average, consumer prices show a growth of 1.5% in 2025, accelerating from 1% in 2024.
Transport growth, energy decline
The acceleration of inflation observed in December was mainly due to the growth in prices of transport-related services (from +0.9% to +2.6%), unprocessed foodstuffs (from +1.1% to +2.3%) and miscellaneous services (from +2% to +2.2%). Prices of non-durable goods slowed (from +1% to +0.6%) as did those of recreational, cultural and personal care services (from +3% to +2.7%), while the decline in prices of regulated energy products became more pronounced (from -3.2% to -5.2%).
The shopping trolley race
In December, core inflation, net of energy and fresh food, remained stable at +1.7%; that net of energy goods alone accelerated slightly (from +1.7% to +1.8%). In December, prices for food, household and personal care showed an acceleration in the pace of growth (from +1.5% to +1.9%), as did those for products with a high purchasing frequency (from +2% to +2.2%). The cyclical increase reflects the growth in the prices of Services related to transport (+3.1%, also due to seasonal factors) and unprocessed food (+0.4%); effects only partly offset by the decrease in Regulated energy products (-0.6%) and Recreational, cultural and personal care services (-0.4%). The harmonised consumer price index HICP increased by 0.2% on November 2025 and 1.2% on December 2024 (from +1.1%), confirming the preliminary estimate.
The yearly average change in 2025 is +1.7% (+1.1% in 2024). The Foi index, net of tobacco, increases by 0.2% in November 2025 and by 1.1% year-on-year; on a yearly average, it is +1.4% (+0.8% in 2024). In 2025, inflation, as measured by the HICP, is +1.7%, for both lower and higher spending households.
More expensive shopping carts by 24% from 2021, energy over +34%
The prices of the so-called shopping trolley have increased much more than inflation over the last five years. Istat indicates a gap of about seven points, with a cumulative increase in the general price index of 17.1 percentage points, between 2021 and 2025, and a growth of 24% for the shopping trolley, an issue on which the Antitrust Authority has just launched an investigation. For energy, the cumulative increase is 34.1 %.
