Inflation in Romania falls slightly to 9.3% in February
The annual inflation rate in Romania fell in February to 9.3% from 9.62% in January, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics published on Friday, March 13. It is the seventh consecutive month in which annual inflation has remained above 9%.
Compared to February 2025, last month the inflation rate was 9.31%.
The largest price increases were recorded in services, namely 11.37%. In the same time interval, prices of non-food goods increased by 9.41%, and those of food goods by 7.89%.
Last month, Romania’s National Bank revised its inflation forecast for the end of 2026 upward to 3.9%, from 3.7% previously. The bank anticipates that inflation will reach 2.7% by the end of 2027. According to the central bank head Mugur Isărescu, Romania will see “a collapse of inflation” in 2026.
Food products
In the food products category, the largest price increases during February 2025 to February 2026 were for coffee (25.82%). Fresh fruits became 16.12% more expensive compared with last year, while fruit and fruit preserves rose in price by 13%.
Sugar products, confectionery products, and honey increased by 13.55%. Other substantial increases were for cow’s milk (9.81%), bread (10.12%), and beef (11.79%), while poultry meat became 8.5% more expensive. Eggs increased in price by 14.33%.
In the alcoholic beverages category, the price of beer increased in the last year by 7.51%, and that of wine by 6.09%. Another significant increase in prices was also recorded for fresh fish (8.04%), oil (8.78%), and citrus fruits (9.94%), while pork became 3.88% more expensive.
There are also price reductions in February 2026 compared with February 2025. Lower prices were noted for potatoes (-11.82%), beans and other legumes (-4.54%), flour (-2.29%), and cornmeal (-1.27%). A decrease of up to 1% compared with last year during the same period is recorded for sugar.
Services
In the services category, the largest price increases in February 2026 compared with the same month of 2025 were recorded in the case of CFR train tickets, which increased by 24.40%, followed by water, sewerage and sanitation services (17.21%), hygiene and cosmetic services (15.94%), and other services of an industrial nature (15.96%).
Other significant increases in this category were recorded for car repair services (14.90%) and services for making and repairing footwear and clothing (14.86%).
Rents increased over the last year by 8.52%. At the same time, medical assistance became more expensive by 12.59%, urban transport increased its tariff by 10.02%, and interurban road transport by 7.99%.
The only price decrease in this category was recorded for air service tariffs, which decreased compared with the previous year by 2.2%.
Non-food goods
Among non-food goods, the most significant price increases in February continue to be those of electricity tariffs, which increased by 56.92%, after the elimination of the cap of electricity prices.
Other tariff increases in this category were also recorded for thermal energy (13.41%), books, newspapers, and magazines (10.15%), detergents (9.01%), and tobacco and cigarettes (7.47%). Medicines also increased their prices in February by 4.18%, and fuels by 4.19%.
Meanwhile, gas prices decreased between February 2026 and February 2025 by 4.57%.
(Photo source: Tero Vesalainen|Dreamstime.com)
