Brussels (Belgium) (AFP) - The inflation rate in the euro zone rose to 4 percent in October, hitting its highest level in three years, driven by a sharp rise in energy prices due to the conflict in the Middle East, according to official data published Wednesday.

Published on: 04/11/2026 - 12:39

The pace of price increases accelerated in the 21 countries that adopt the euro, after the inflation rate reached 3.8 percent in September, according to a preliminary estimate by the European Statistical Office (Eurostat).

This is the highest inflation rate recorded by the euro zone since September 2023. The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 led to an unprecedented jump in prices in the region.

The acceleration of inflation in October, due to the sharp rise in oil prices, was in line with the expectations of analysts at Bloomberg.

Eurostat reported that the rate of rise in energy prices reached 20.8 percent in October, compared to 18.9 percent in the previous month.

The pace of rise in the prices of services and food also accelerated slightly, as service prices rose by 3.3 percent compared to 3.2 percent in September, and food prices by 1.6 percent compared to 1.3 percent in the previous month.

Jack Allen-Reynolds, an economist at Capital Economics, said that “the indirect effects of rising energy costs on food prices” are still “very limited” so far.

He added, "If energy prices remain close to their current levels, it is expected that the pace of their rise will slow slightly in November. But we believe that the impact of the rise in energy costs will appear more clearly in food prices" in the coming months.

© 2026 AFP

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