Inflation in Albania, measured through the Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices (HICP), Eurostat methodology reached 2.5% in February 2026, according to the latest data from the Institute of Statistics (INSTAT). This value was higher than the EU average, where the average inflation in February was 2.1%.

This indicator marked a slight increase compared to the previous month, where consumer prices increased by 0.5% within a month. The highest annual increase was observed in the group “Entertainment, sports and culture”, which became more expensive by 9.7%, having a significant impact of 0.60 percentage points on the total inflation figure. However, the main weight in the increase in prices continues to be held by “Food and non-alcoholic beverages”, which, although they increased by 2.3%, made the largest contribution to the index with 0.81 percentage points due to their high weight in the consumer basket.

Compared to other European countries, Albania is positioned at an average level, staying above the European Union average, which for February 2026 was calculated at 2.1%.

Albania, with 2.5%, presents a lower inflation rate than countries such as Romania, which tops the list with the highest price increase in Europe, followed by Iceland, Slovakia, and Croatia. On the other hand, Albania has a higher inflation rate than major economic powers such as Germany, France, and Italy, or other countries such as Finland and Sweden. The lowest levels of price increases in Europe for this period were recorded in Denmark and Switzerland, which close the ranking with the lowest inflation rates.