Press release No. 208 of 13 June 2025
Consumer price index, May 2025:
+2.1% on the same month a year earlier (provisional result confirmed)
+0.1% on the previous month (provisional result confirmed)
Harmonised index of consumer prices, May 2025:
+2.1% on the same month a year earlier (provisional result confirmed)
+0.2% on the previous month (provisional result confirmed)
WIESBADEN − The inflation rate in Germany, measured as the year-on-year change in the consumer price index (CPI), stood at +2.1% in May 2025. In April 2025, the inflation rate was also +2.1%, and only slightly higher in the months before (+2.2% in March 2025, and +2.3% in both January and February 2025). "The inflation rate has stabilised, mainly due to the continued decrease in energy prices", said Ruth Brand, President of the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis). “On the other hand, the rise in food and service prices drove inflation up in May also.” Compared with April 2025, consumer prices rose by 0.1% in May 2025.
Energy product prices down 4.6% compared with May 2024
The prices of energy products were 4.6% lower in May 2025 than in the same month a year earlier. The price drop was less marked than in the preceding year (April 2025: -5.4%). Motor fuel prices (-6.8%), in particular, were down in May 2025 from a year earlier. The price of household energy fell by 3.0% in the same period, with consumers benefiting from lower prices for electricity (-2.4%), firewood, wood pellets and other solid fuels (-5.4%) and heating oil (-9.5%). Furthermore, district heating (-0.3%) and natural gas (-0.1%) were slightly less expensive than a year earlier.
2.8% increase in food prices compared with a year earlier
Food prices in May 2025 were up 2.8% year on year, with the increase in food prices remaining higher than overall inflation in May 2025. In April 2025, the rate of price increase was also +2.8%. Particularly high price rises were recorded for fruit (+7.4%) and sugar, jam, honey and other confectionery (+6.6%) from May 2024 to May 2025. The prices of edible fats and oils (+4.7%) and dairy products and eggs (+4.6%) were also markedly up. In some cases, contrary price trends could be observed: while there were large price increases (for example chocolate: +20.2%; butter: +17.6%), there were notable price drops (sugar: -27.5%; olive oil: -17.2%). Other price increases were significantly below average, for example for bread and cereals (+0.7%) and fish, fish products and seafood (+0.2%). Vegetable prices decreased slightly compared with the same month of the previous year (-0.2%, including potatoes: -6.4%).
Inflation rate excluding food and energy at +2.8%
Excluding energy prices, the inflation rate stood at +2.7% in May 2025. The inflation rate excluding food and energy, often referred to as core inflation, was +2.8% in May 2025. Both rates have exceeded overall inflation for over a year, thereby demonstrating that inflation was above average in other important product groups.
Service prices registered above-average increase of 3.4% year on year
The prices of services (total) were 3.4% higher in May 2025 than a year earlier. The increase in service prices therefore slowed slightly (April 2025: +3.9%). From May 2024 to May 2025, higher prices were recorded in particular for combined passenger transport services (+11.4%) and insurance services (+9.4%). Above-average price increases were also observed in the area of care services, such as for services of social facilities (+9.1%) and in-patient health services (+6.5%). Many other services were also markedly more expensive than a year earlier, such as letter and parcel services (+8.2%), the maintenance and repair of vehicles (+5.5%), overnight stays (+5.1%) and catering services in restaurants, cafés and the like (+4.2). Net rents exclusive of heating expenses (+2.1%) continued to be a significant factor contributing to the development of service prices. By contrast, only a few services cost less than in the same month a year earlier, for example international flights (-8.7%) and telecommunications services (-1.3%).
Prices of goods up 0.9% on May 2024
The prices of goods (total) rose 0.9% from May 2024 to May 2025. In April 2025, the rate of price increase was 0.5%. The prices of non-durable consumer goods were up 1.0% and durable consumer goods cost 0.7% more in May 2025. Aside from the increase in food prices (+2.8%), other individual products were markedly more expensive, for example non-alcoholic beverages (+7.5%, including coffee and the like (only in German): +17.6%), tobacco products (+5.9%) and motor vehicles (+3.9%). By contrast, price decreases were recorded not only for energy (-4.6%) but also for mobile phones (-7.6%) and information processing equipment (-5.1%), and furniture and lighting equipment (-0.5%), for example.
Prices (total) up 0.1% month on month
Compared with April 2025, the consumer price index increased by 1% in May 2025. Month-on-month price increases were recorded for overnight stays (+4.8%) and non-alcoholic beverages (+1.4%, including coffee and the like (only in German): +3.4%), for example. By contrast, energy (total) cost 0.4% less than in the previous month, with the prices of motor fuels (-0.7%), firewood, wood pellets and other solid fuels (-2.0%) and heating oil (-2.7%) falling in particular. Food prices (total) also decreased slightly month on month (-0.2%, including vegetables: -6.2%). Also, there was a noticeable price drop for air travel (-16.8%).
Methodological notes:
In the Euro area, the harmonised index of consumer prices (HICP) is used for the purposes of monetary policy. Apart from the individual purposes they serve, the consumer price index (CPI) and the HICP differ in terms of coverage, methodology and weighting. This explains the differences between the CPI and the HICP for Germany. In contrast to the HICP, the CPI also includes household expenditure on owner-occupied housing, games of chance and broadcasting fees. In addition, the HICP product weights are updated annually. Explanatory notes, a methodological paper and the HICP results are also available on the website of the Federal Statistical Office.
Inflation Calculator for personal rate of inflation:
Consumers can use the Personal Inflation Calculator of the Federal Statistical Office to adapt their monthly consumption expenditure on individual product groups according to their own consumption patterns and to calculate their personal inflation rate. In addition, the Price Kaleidoscope gives an overview of the price trend and the weights of various products.
Overall index / subindex | Weighting | Change on same period of previous year | Change on the previous month | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Index | ||||
in per mill | % | |||
| Overall index | 1,000.00 | 121.8 | 2.1 | 0.1 |
| Food and non-alcoholic-beverages | 119.04 | 136.5 | 3.3 | 0.0 |
| Food | 104.69 | 136.2 | 2.8 | -0.2 |
| Meat and meat products | 22.16 | 131.5 | 2.1 | 0.7 |
| Fruit | 11.62 | 125.6 | 7.4 | 1.0 |
| Vegetables | 13.72 | 130.2 | -0.2 | -6.2 |
| Alcoholic beverages and tobacco | 35.26 | 126.5 | 4.1 | 1.0 |
| Clothing and footwear | 42.25 | 111.8 | 0.5 | -0.4 |
| Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels | 259.25 | 117.3 | 1.2 | 0.1 |
| Actual net rent exclusive of heating expenses | 68.30 | 109.8 | 2.1 | 0.2 |
| Imputed net rent exclusive of heating expenses | 104.13 | 108.9 | 2.1 | 0.1 |
| Household energy | 43.44 | 146.5 | -3.0 | -0.3 |
| Electricity | 24.50 | 124.6 | -2.4 | 0.1 |
| Gas 1 | 6.07 | 191.1 | -0.1 | -0.4 |
| Healting oil 1 | 1.70 | 179.7 | -9.5 | -2.7 |
| Furniture, lighting equipment, appliances and other household equipment | 67.78 | 117.9 | -0.3 | -0.3 |
| Health | 55.49 | 110.7 | 2.9 | 0.1 |
| Transport | 138.22 | 126.5 | 0.6 | -0.8 |
| Motor fuels | 30.46 | 136.3 | -6.8 | -0.7 |
| Supergrade petrol | 23.19 | 134.6 | -7.2 | -0.4 |
| Diesel fuel | 6.92 | 140.1 | -6.0 | -1.7 |
| Communication | 23.35 | 98.1 | -1.2 | -0.2 |
| Recreation and culture | 104.23 | 117.0 | 1.1 | 0.3 |
| Package holidays | 13.22 | 131.3 | 2.4 | -0.9 |
| Education | 9.06 | 119.0 | 4.7 | 0.0 |
| Restaurant and accommodation services | 47.20 | 132.2 | 4.3 | 1.2 |
| Miscellaneous goods and services | 98.87 | 126.4 | 6.0 | 0.3 |
| Overall index, excluding food and energy 2 | 821.41 | 118.1 | 2.8 | 0.2 |
More information:
Detailed results can be found in the tables on the consumer price index (61111-0004) and (61111-0006) and on the harmonised index of consumer prices (61121-0002) and (61121-0006) in the GENESIS-Online database. Special items shown in Tables 61111-0006) and (61121-0006) contain CPI and HICP results which are used to measure "core inflation". The table "Verbraucherpreisindex – Preisentwicklung für Nahrungsmittel" (only in German) on the "Verbraucherpreisindex und Inflationsrate" page of the Federal Statistical Office’s website contains information on changes in the prices of individual food products.
Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Union, has released provisional results on Euro area inflation for May 2025 (available on Eurostat’s website under News > Euro indicators).
Results for the consumer price index can also be found on the Economic Dashboard, which is part of Dashboard Germany (www.dashboard-deutschland.de) (only in German). In this data portal, the Federal Statistical Office brings together up-to-date indicators from official statistics producers and other data providers on the topics of the economy, finance, the labour market, construction, housing, energy and Ukraine. The portal also contains the Economic Pulse Monitor tool (Pulsmesser Wirtschaft) (only in German) tool for real-time economic monitoring.
