Inflation was still high in June, but for the second month in a row it was lower than the month before. Prices in June were 9.9 percent higher than last year. This is shown on Friday from a first estimate by the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), according to the European calculation method (HICP).
At 9.9 percent, inflation has fallen below 10 percent for the first time since February. It is the second month in a row in which inflation has fallen slightly according to this method. In May (10.2 percent) it already fell by a whole percentage point.
Inflation already rose in the second half of last year as a result of the corona pandemic. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, prices have only started to rise faster, mainly because of sky-high energy prices.
To ensure that price increases cool down somewhat, central banks around the world are phasing out their stimulus programs and raising interest rates. The aim of this is to make borrowing more expensive and saving more attractive again, thereby slowing down the economy.
The CBS figures for Friday are based on the so-called European calculation method. It was created to measure and compare inflation across the eurozone. Statistics Netherlands will publish inflation figures next week according to its own calculation method.