Life is getting more expensive a little slower, but inflation remains skyrocketing

Even in December, energy prices remain the cause of high inflation. Energy is still more than a third (32.88%) more expensive than in December last year, contributing 3.25 percentage points to the overall inflation rate.

The sharp rise in food prices is also striking. There is no sign of a downtrend in this category. Food was 14.53% more expensive in December than last year, while food inflation was slightly lower in November. Food’s contribution to total inflation is now 2.77 percentage points, Statbel says.

As a result, core inflation is also still on the rise: it rose from 7.16 percent in November to 7.34 percent in December.