PARIS, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- France's consumer price index (CPI) increased by 0.3 percent year on year in January, down from 0.8 percent in December 2025, the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE) reported on Tuesday.
According to INSEE, the easing was mainly attributed to a slowdown in services inflation, which rose 1.7 percent after increasing 2.1 percent in December, and a sharper decline in manufactured goods prices, which fell 1.2 percent after a 0.4 percent drop.
Energy prices fell at a faster pace year on year, declining 7.6 percent in January compared with a 6.8 percent decrease in December, while tobacco price growth eased to 2.7 percent from 4.1 percent. Food prices, however, accelerated slightly, rising 1.9 percent after a 1.7 percent increase in December.
INSEE noted that the monthly decline followed a 0.1 percent increase in December 2025 and was mainly driven by a seasonal drop in manufactured goods prices, which fell 1.9 percent after a 0.3 percent decrease in December, due largely to winter sales in clothing and footwear.
By contrast, food prices rose 0.5 percent month on month after a 0.2 percent increase in December. Energy prices rebounded by 0.8 percent after a 1.6 percent decline, while tobacco prices increased 2.4 percent after remaining stable in the previous month. Service prices edged down 0.1 percent in January following a 0.4 percent rise in December.
Underlying inflation stood at 0.7 percent in January, down from 1.1 percent in December, it said. ■