Inflation and purchasing power in Germany and Italy

Prices continue to rise in France but this rise is slowing down: this is the lesson of the latest franceinfo / France Bleu shopping basket, in partnership with NielsenIQ. Inflation on our basket is falling, a first since November. It stood at 16.8% between May 2022 and May 2023, i.e. 0.8 points less than in April. A slowdown measured by the inflation rate in France, which stood at 5.1% over one year, after reaching 5.9% in April and more than 6% at the start of the year, according to an estimate published on May 31 by INSEE. This situation is not new in Europe: example in Italy and Germany.

>> Price up, but inflation down: discover the new edition of the franceinfo shopping basket in your department

In Germany, the economy is experiencing a slump and officially entered recession in the first quarter of 2023, in a context of energy crisis and high inflation. And high prices continue to undermine consumption and household morale. Three out of four Germans claim to have to reduce their consumption and 44% only buy what is strictly necessary.

In Italy, the President of the Council Giorgia Meloni has planned to release in her first budget 21 billion euros to support the portfolio of households and companies. Italy is one of the European countries where prices have soared the most in 2022 and at the start of 2023. And inflation is at a level not seen for four decades, even if it is slowing down. Result: Italians are changing their consumption habits. A third buy first-price products, a quarter have given up buying meat and fish. And the soaring prices of “pasta” caused a great stir.