Inflation: March rises to 1.7%, shopping trolley at 2.2%
Price developments were mainly affected by the sharp rise in regulated and unregulated energy prices and the acceleration of unprocessed food prices
In March, inflation recorded a change of +0.5% on a monthly basis and +1.7% on an annual basis, from +1.5% in the previous month. This is the provisional estimate by Istat. The tendential rate of change in the prices of food, household and personal care shows a moderate acceleration: from +2% to +2.2%.
Severe rise in energy prices
According to preliminary ISTAT estimates, in March 2026 the national consumer price index for the entire community, gross of tobacco products, recorded a change of +0.5% on a monthly basis and +1.7% on an annual basis (up from +1.5% in the previous month). The inflation trend, it is stressed, is mainly affected by the sharp rise in the prices of energy products - regulated (from -11.6% to -1.3%) and unregulated (from -6.2% to -2.4%) - and the acceleration of those of unprocessed food (from +3.7% to +4.4%).
Lower prices for recreational and cultural services
Prices for Recreational, Cultural and Personal Care Services (from +4.9% to +3.0%), Transport Services (from +2.8% to +2.4%) and Housing Services (from +4.5% to +4.2%) slowed down instead. In March, Istat adds, the 'core inflation', net of energy and fresh food, shows a slowdown (from +2.4% to +1.9%), as well as that net of energy goods only (from +2.5% to +2.1%). Prices of goods accelerated significantly year-on-year (from -0.1% to +0.7%), while prices of services decreased their growth rate (from +3.6% to +2.8%). The differential between the services and goods sectors thus decreases from +3.8 percentage points to +2.1 percentage points.
On a monthly basis, the overall index was mainly impacted by price increases in Energy, regulated (+8.9%) and non-regulated (+4.6%), Transport-related services (+0.7%) and Unprocessed food (+0.4%). The effects of these increases were only partly offset by the fall in prices for Recreational, cultural and personal care services (-1.2%). Also according to preliminary estimates, the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) showed a change of +1.6% on a monthly basis, due to the end of seasonal balances that the NIC does not take into account, and +1.5% on an annual basis (stable compared to the previous month).
