Belgian inflation fell again last month, to 2 per cent in October, according to statistics agency Statbel. In September, inflation had risen to 2.12 per cent, after consumer prices rose just slightly more than 1.9 per cent in the previous two months.
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Inflation falls to 2 per cent in October: what became cheaper, what’s more expensive?
Colin Clapson
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The most significant price increases in October compared to September were at holiday villages and campsites (+12.7 per cent), in clothing (+2.3 per cent), private rentals (+1.4 per cent), recreational sports (+6.9 per cent), air tickets (+8.4 per cent), restaurants and cafés (+0.5 per cent) and body care (+1 per cent).
Hotel rooms (-9.6 per cent), natural gas (-1.6 per cent), electricity (-0.8 per cent) and domestic package holidays (-7.6 per cent) saw the most notable price decreases.
What about on an annual basis?
Compared to October 2024, household services (+21.8 per cent), beef (+17.3 per cent) and tickets for sports and recreational events (+15.4 per cent) became more expensive.
Mobile phones (-18.4 per cent), televisions (-16 per cent) and pregnancy tests and contraceptives (-12.7 per cent) have become significantly cheaper.
Energy inflation falls, services inflation rises
Core inflation, which excludes changes in the price of energy products and unprocessed food, stood at 2.58 per cent in October, compared to 2.61 per cent in September.
Energy inflation continues to fall from -1.48 to -1.85 per cent, as did food inflation, from 3.32 to 2.68 per cent. Services inflation, on the other hand, is rising, from 3.47 to 3.62 per cent.
Finally, inflation based on the health index fell from 2.15 to 2.11 per cent. This index does not take into account the prices of alcoholic beverages, tobacco products and fuel and is used to determine when wages and benefits should rise in line with an index.
The Federal Planning Bureau expects wage and benefits increases next to be triggered in January.