Romania registered 9.7% inflation in 2025, official data says

Romania ended 2025 with an annual inflation rate of 9.7%, primarily caused by the liberalization of energy prices and the increase in VAT.

Over the past year, services became the most expensive (+11%), while the prices of non-food goods increased by +10.5%. Food recorded average price increases of +7.7%, according to Romania’s National Institute for Statistics, or INS.

The largest contribution to price increases in 2025 came from electricity (+61%), while gas prices rose by +7.7% and thermal energy by +19%. Fuels ended 2025 with an increase of under 4%, after a -1.3% drop in December.

In foods, increases were noted for bread (+10%), meat (+7%), milk (+9%), and eggs (+10%), while vegetables dropped in price by an average of -1.5%. In non-food goods, clothing prices increased by 7.5%, but also for footwear (+5.6%), furniture (+6%), cigarettes (+7%), and medicines (5.5%).

Rents (+8.6%), water/sanitation (+13%), restaurants (+12%), transport (+9%), and car repairs (+14%) also saw price hikes.

Romania’s annual inflation rate stood at roughly 9.8% in November 2025, similar to October.

Inflation, the cost of living, and the domestic and international political context are among the top concerns of Romanians looking ahead to 2026, a survey by the Romanian Institute for Evaluation and Strategy (IRES) showed.

(Photo source: Ungureanu Vadim | Dreamstime.com)