ELSTAT: inflation at 3.8% in August 2026

ELSTAT (the Hellenic Statistical Authority) announced on Wednesday 9 September 2026 the Consumer Price Index for August 2026, according to a report by Reporter.gr. Annual inflation stood at 3.8%, comparing prices in August 2026 with August 2025. On a monthly basis, the index rose by 0.4% in August 2026 compared with July 2026, ELSTAT said. The twelve-month average index from September 2025 to August 2026 recorded a rise of 3.4%, against a rise of 2.6% recorded in the previous corresponding period. In the same period last year, annual inflation had stood at 2.9%. This was also highlighted by Enikos, which presented ELSTAT’s figures in detail.

According to ELSTAT figures, the largest year-on-year increase was recorded by housing, up 9.7%, followed by transport at 7.7%. In the energy category, natural gas rose in price by 40.2%, diesel by 30.6% and petrol by 15.3%. In food, lamb and goat meat rose in price by 11.5%, as did fish, while olive oil moved in the opposite direction, falling 15% year-on-year, as Real.gr also recorded in its own presentation of ELSTAT’s figures. These individual changes refer to the comparison of August 2026 with August 2025, according to the breakdown by spending category published by ELSTAT.

The increases in housing, transport and energy concern basic, everyday household expenses, from heating and travel to food, making these developments noticeable in the household budget. The combined effect of housing and transport, two of the largest spending categories, largely explains why annual inflation in August 2026 remains higher than in the corresponding period last year. The fall in olive oil is an exception in an otherwise broader environment of price increases recorded by ELSTAT. These developments are also linked to wider economic issues followed in the Economy section, where other related topics are also covered, such as the recent clarifications from AADE on farmer subsidy payments.

ELSTAT’s announcement concerns exclusively the Consumer Price Index for August 2026 and does not include, in the figures published so far, a separate figure for rents, which are included in the overall housing category without a standalone record in this release. This is a monthly statistical bulletin, with the next one expected in a month, when ELSTAT will announce the figures for September 2026. The announcement of 9 September 2026 does not include ELSTAT estimates for the path of prices in the coming months, nor comparative figures with other countries. Until the next announcement, the available figures are limited to what ELSTAT has published for August 2026.