Ljubljana, 28 December (STA) - Slovenia is ending 2018 with a 1.4% annual inflation rate, which was mostly affected by 6.5% higher prices of energy products. At the monthly level 0.6% deflation was recorded in December, the Statistics Office reported on Friday.
In 2018, service prices went up on average by 3% and goods prices by 0.7%. Non-durable goods prices went up by 1.5%, while durable goods prices and semi-durable goods prices went down by 1.5% and 0.3%, respectively.
Higher prices of energy products pushed inflation up by 0.5 of a percentage point. Standing out is a 14.8% increase in the prices of heating.
Higher prices of telephone services (by 3.8%) and package holidays (by 7.3%) each contributed 0.2 percentage points.
Also noteworthy are higher higher prices of hospital services (by 7%), out-patient services (by 5.2%) and actual rentals for housing (by 6.5%).
On the other hand, annual inflation, down 0.3 percentage points compared to 2017, was lowered the most, by 0.2 of a percentage point, by a 2.8% decrease in the prices of motor vehicles.
In December lower prices of petroleum products pushed the monthly inflation rate down by 0.3 of a percentage point.
Measured with the harmonised index of consumer prices, the EU standard, Slovenia's annual inflation also ran at 1.4%, while prices were down 0.6% at the monthly level.